The region will have a new resource to determine how its fire stations, hospitals, shelters and other critical buildings will fare during severe weather.

The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, a regional planning agency, has received a $30,000 grant from the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation.

The council will focus on flood risk, the institute said in a statement when the grant was announced. It will "identify hazards and flood prevention options at facilities such as fire and police stations, sewer and wastewater treatment systems, medical facilities, schools, town buildings and senior housing."

The institute is affiliated with the University of Connecticut and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Amanda Kennedy, director of special projects for the regional council, said the group's multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan, updated in 2005 and 2012, recommends a regional evaluation of critical facilities, including senior housing, pump stations, water treatment plants and police stations. Kennedy said she would also like to consider animal shelters and town halls.

Under the grant, a building could be assessed as to how resilient it is against short- and long-term service interruptions, according to a news release from the council of governments.

The assessment would include recommendations to prevent damage, such as flood-proofing, backup power systems, and additional drainage. The study also would "provide baseline information for municipal facilities managers to build upon as they consider further preventive actions," the release states.

The grant comes at a time when both the regional council and the state are working to build awareness of resiliency issues, Kennedy explained. In 2013, Connecticut required municipalities to address resiliency in their plans of conservation and development.

The council's regional Plan of Conservation and Development, which is being updated, is also expected to address severe weather resiliency, which includes preventing damage, reacting more quickly to storm damage when it occurs, and having resources in place to respond to communities lacking services, Kennedy said.

The council likely will set priorities for buildings for the grant and will determine how many are in flood zones, as well as how many are in areas at risk for sea level rise and storm surges, she said.

Rebecca A. French, the director of community engagement for institute, said via email that the Municipal Resilience Grant Program has been in place for nearly two years. The Town of Waterford received funding in the first round, she said.

The purpose of the grants is to share local knowledge with other areas in the state that they can then also use to bolster resiliency against storms.   

k.drelich@theday.com