First, Tropical Storm Irene brought down part of a white pine tree in the historic cemetery that sits along Roast Meat Hill Road.
Then, the freak October snowstorm toppled an old oak. Now, as many as 60 headstones are either toppled, damaged or covered by the trees that have been left there for months.
Killingworth First Selectman Catherine Iino said that, initially the town had to focus on cleaning up other parts of town before turning its attention to the cemetery and officials have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State Historic Preservation Office to clean up the site.
Oome of the grave sites are from the 1700s.
FEMA will help pay for clean up and repair costs, but the historic preservation office must give its approval.
“We’re working under their recommendations," Iino said. "And once it’s done, FEMA has said they will compensate us.”
That compensation is important for a small town with a strained budget. Clean up and repairs will cost tens of thousands of dollars, of which FEMA will compensate 75 percent of the expenses.
Neighbors who live near the cemetery understand the delicate nature of the work. They just wish it didn't take so long.
“It’s a shame, because it’s a really nice historical piece of property, but nobody knows what to do next," said neighbor Alexis Kelleher. "It’s been forever."
Iino said she wishes the removal and repair work could have started sooner, but it's a job that the town can't rush and she won't risk doing more damage to the site.
“It’s both a sacred space and a historic space and we don’t’ want to do anything that would cause further harm,” she said.
