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09/15/2011 12:00 AMThe legislature’s examination of the quality and effectiveness of Connecticut’s readiness and response to Tropical Storm Irene is set for Sept. 19 and 26.
Four committees of the General Assembly – Energy and Technology, Public Safety, Labor and Public Employees, and Planning & Development – will hear from representatives of utility companies, workers, communications firms and municipalities, as well as from members of the general public.
Rep. Lonnie Reed (D-Branford), vice chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, says the public hearings can not come soon enough.
"Cascading system failures literally put some lives in peril as prolonged power outages and the inability to communicate threatened medical equipment such as respirators,” he said. “The relentless ingenuity of tireless local officials, first responders and volunteers got us through. Sharing their real-world experiences in solving huge problems under the most stressful of circumstances will expedite our ability to quickly fix what is broken."
Senate and House Democrats have set up Facebook and Twitter accounts at http://www.facebook.com/pages/After-Irene-CT/262762473747233 and http://twitter.com/#!/AfterIreneCT to accept public comments and suggestions about experiences with the storm and the state’s readiness for and response to it.
On Sept. 19, the hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. with representatives of CL&P, UI and municipal utilities, followed by municipal representatives and officials from telephone, cable and wireless utility companies. The hearing will conclude at 4:30 p.m.
On Sept. 26, members of the public will have the opportunity to appear before the committees beginning at 9:00 a.m., followed by union representatives and the electric utility companies. Members of the public will have an additional chance for comment before the hearing closes in early afternoon.