From an anticipated $1.5 million federal FEMA award to a $165,000 Public Works loader replacement to dozens of private insurance reimbursements ranging from several hundred to more than $60,000, the cash due to dozens of affected parties one year after a devastating macroburst struck Newtown has been slow to come.

On the one-year anniversary of the severe weather that struck a huge swath across the state, spawning several tornadoes, toppling countless trees, and tapping residents’ reserves to cover clean-up costs, federal lawmakers were busy launching an initiative to help ease future storm-related emergency costs.

Just over one year ago, a bright May 15 morning ended with tens of thousands of Newtown and fellow state residents in the dark and simmering under seasonable heat as the sound of chainsaws and sirens permeated the evening air.

According to the National Weather Service, an EF1 tornado with winds of up to 110 mph cut a nine-and-a-half-mile swath between Beacon Falls and Hamden, preceded by a macroburst packing 100 mph winds that struck Brookfield and Newtown. A macroburst is a downdraft that can cause tornado-like damage.

Just ahead of its arrival in Newtown, Saugerties, N.Y., was hit by an EF1 tornado, according to the NWS. Two tornadoes were also confirmed in Putnam County, N.Y., — an EF1 near Patterson and an EF2 near Kent. Other communities along the constantly morphing storm path weathered more than a dozen downbursts, microbursts, and macrobursts that flattened trees, power lines, and structures.

Two people died in neighboring towns, while just a few minor injuries resulted from the storm and immediate cleanup in Newtown, officials thankfully reported in the hours after the event.

Walter Cardenas Salina, 45, from Danbury, was killed when a tree fell on his truck, according to the Associated Press. And Connecticut State Police reported a tree fell on a car in New Fairfield, killing 41-year-old Lauren Svendsen. Her 3-year-old son, who was also in the vehicle, survived.

Drone images above several Sandy Hook neighborhoods showed amazing images where the macroburst force literally punched stands of trees flat against the ground. Much more dramatic and widespread forest damage occurred at Sleeping Giant State Park, which still has vast areas closed to the public one year post-storm.

Today, the Building Department said few, if any, of the more than 90 residents who initially took out building permits for storm-related work are still waiting to begin repairs. But there are about a half-dozen property owners who are just beginning to rebuild from the ground up, and at least one condemned residence that is still awaiting restoration.

Many others have completed smaller repairs and exterior work like landscape fixes or brush removal and have moved on, shouldering the full brunt of those storm costs. This situation, faced by thousands in Connecticut as a result of last year’s May 15 weather system, has spurred federal lawmakers to try and help with some relief.

On May 21, US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and US Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Jahana Hayes introduced the Diversifying Emergency Benchmarks for the Recovery of Individuals after Storms (DEBRIS) Act to end a ban on federal disaster relief aid to homeowners for fallen trees and debris.

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