One week after severe flooding caused widespread damage across the region, residents and local leaders gathered in Fairfield to discuss ways to better protect communities from future storms.

The forum was held at Sherman Elementary School, where Connecticut State Sen. Tony Hwang focused on strengthening infrastructure, restoring natural buffer zones and addressing shoreline erosion concerns.

Hwang said the recent storm exposed vulnerabilities in the region's preparedness and highlighted the need for action.

"What that storm taught us is that we are woefully and inadequately prepared, and we must, we have to do better," Hwang said.

Residents echoed those concerns, pointing to aging infrastructure as a key issue.

"What's the problem? Our infrastructure; our infrastructure has to get better and stronger to handle these huge storms," said Trumbull resident Scott Modlin.

The discussion comes as communities across Connecticut continue assessing damage from last week's flooding and exploring ways to improve resilience against increasingly intense weather events.