State and local officials began assessing damage and worked to reopen roads in western Connecticut on Tuesday after heavy rains and melting snow caused widespread flooding.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy surveyed damage in New Milford on Tuesday afternoon. Route 7 and a dozen other roads in town were closed because of the surging Housatonic River. The Route 202 bridge over the Housatonic is also closed.

New Milford Mayor Patricia Murphy said state officials were going to haul a temporary bridge to town late Tuesday to fix a section of Chinmoy Lane. The road washed out when a culvert collapsed, stranding residents in 24 homes on the cul-de-sac who have no way out.

Malloy promised to seek disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency but warned that it might be difficult to convince federal officials to provide the money, the Register Citizen newspaper reported.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Conn-officials-assessing-damage-from-flooding-1048148.php#ixzz1G83DBUli