Mel Goldstein, who retired as WTNH chief meteorologist last month, had his house destroyed by Hurricane Irene and now Connecticut Senator Dick Blumenthal is using his ordeal as an example in trying to win federal emergency aid for the state.
“Mel Goldstein and his wife Arlene, whose home was completely destroyed by flooding from Irene, are being told their homeowners insurance will not cover the damage,” Blumenthal declared, speaking on the Senate floor earlier this week. “The only hope they have is FEMA flood insurance and other FEMA assistance.”
“The insurance companies. They were gone. They disappeared, and I was flabbergasted,” Goldstein told WTNH recently. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Many viewers in Connecticut are familiar with Goldstein’s house as he used to regularly provide weather updates from the back deck, which WTNH dubbed The Weather Deck (video below).
Goldstein says that FEMA has now stepped in to help.