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07/05/2018 12:01 AMTowns around Connecticut participated in a statewide emergency planning exercise last month. The governor has held these exercises every year since a string of disasters hit the state in 2010-’12.
This year’s exercise involved a hurricane that seriously affects the entire East Coast of the United States; in the scenario Connecticut receives 15 to 20 inches of rain, several tornadoes, and statewide power outages.
For the exercise, Killingworth convened representatives from the Town Hall staff, the Highway Department, Eversource, the Lions Club, and the Ambulance Association under the guidance of Director of Emergency Management Don McDougall. We responded to a series of “injects” from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, announcing developments as virtual Storm Cora hit the state.
These exercises allow us to reinforce lines of communications among individuals and groups who’ll help in the event of a real disaster, to raise questions before we’re in the midst of an emergency, and to identify ways to strengthen our emergency response.
Once again, we recognized that Killingworth’s small and sparse population and its heavy forestation mean we can expect a major storm to cause serious and possibly lengthy road closures and a long wait before power will be restored. In the “Storm Cora” exercise, the entire state lost power for several weeks. Killingworth should be prepared to be at the long end of the power restoration process.
For residents, this means advance preparation is crucial. When a storm is forecast, I and my staff will provide as much early information as we can, but you should have plans in place well before that—really, from the start of hurricane season.
As always, this means making sure you have more than a three-day supply of necessities such as water (both potable and nonpotable, for flushing toilets), nonperishable food, medications and medical supplies, pet supplies, and flashlight batteries. Fill the gasoline tanks in your car and your jerry cans if you have a generator: Gas stations may be out of power and resupply chains may be interrupted. Get cash; ATM machines and Internet access may also be out of service.
If you require regular treatments (for example, dialysis) at a medical facility, make preparations in advance to relocate so that you’ll have uninterrupted access. When weather conditions are dire and roads are blocked, it could require some time before emergency crews could reach you at home to assist or transport you.
Much more detailed information is in the Connecticut Guide to Emergency Preparedness, which is available at Town Hall and online.
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the country could see 10 to 16 named Atlantic storms, of which 5 to 9 could be hurricanes and 1 to 4 of those, major hurricanes. These are only probabilities, of course, but NOAA points out that atmospheric and oceanic conditions “are conducive to hurricane development and have been producing stronger Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1995.”
I hope none of this will occur, but let’s be ready.