Politics & Government

Town Worked to Prepare for the Storm; Emergency Operations Center Worked Smoothly

Systems allowed personnel to stay on top of the storm

Montville’s Emergency Operations Center got underway long before Irene hit town, and is still in business today, long after the storm has passed.

“We start when that storm forms,” said Fire Marshal Ray Occhialini.

 

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THE PUBLICLY VISIBLE EFFORT began with an all-agency meeting on Friday, Aug. 26, as the storm was heading toward the East Coast.

At the meeting were Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz, Fire Inspector Ed Shafer, the heads of the town departments and agencies that might be involved. There were representatives of the Uncas Health District, Montville Police Lt. Leonard Bunnell, Resident State Trooper Sgt. Mike Collins, Animal Control Officer Chris Martel, all the town’s fire chiefs, representatives from the WPCA, the American Red Cross, NRG, Rand-Whitney, Faria Corp., Rock Tenn, Superintendent Pam Aubin, members of the media and more.

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Occhialini called on each person to report what the entity he or she represented was doing to prepare for the storm. Every person had a substantial plan. (To read about that meeting, click here.)

“The meeting was good,” Occhialini said. Among other things, it allowed him and Shafer to regather people’s contact information.

Throughout all of this, Occhialini said, he was in contact with the state, giving information and getting information.

On Saturday morning, Aug. 27, the WPCA, the fire chief, the mayor and the police gathered again, and at that meeting, Occhialini said, the final preparations for staffing, and final needs were discussed.

The plan was to man the Emergency Operations Center, and to put police, Department of Public Works staffers, and plow trucks at each fire station, Occhialini says. This plan spread out personnel to make it easier to respond more effectively to any situation.

The shelter at Montville High School opened on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m.

People who couldn’t get to the shelter on their own were given rides. The cots were set up, food was brought in, and people were registered and made comfortable. To read about the shelter, click here. To read about the Red Cross food operation, click here.

 

IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, which also opened at 6, the mayor, Occhialini, the fire marshal's office administrator Lisa, Shafer and Jim Sajkowicz hunkered down.

There, in the basement of Montville Town Hall, they manned the radio, took calls, answered questions and directed people to the right places to get information.

They made ongoing reports to the state, received ongoing reports from the state, and monitored the progress of the storm.

“The phone rang a lot,” Occhialini says. “People wanted dispatch, 911, public works… They call anybody who will listen.”

Shafer rigged a radio system so that the EOC and the shelter could be in constant communication. There were no problems there, Occhialini said.

 

AS THE STORM STRETCHED ON, the EOC continued to operate, taking calls, fielding personnel requests, making decisions. Occhialini, Shafer and Sajkowicz stayed during the nights of the storm, and traded off during the days.

At one point, it seemed possible and smart to send Public Works staffers out in plows to clear fallen trees. But when the storm was reaching its height, the EOC and Public Works Director Donald Bourdeau made the decision to bring the Public Works staffers in. The storm was just too strong.

As soon as it was possible, the Public Works drivers went back out.

 

ONE STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE was that P&H Construction managed to finish enough of the work on the sagging part of Kitemaug Road so that cars could drive over it. When a tree went down blocking what had been the detour, the town was able to open up the bridge and keep that neighborhood open.

“I want to compliment P&H Construction on the work they did on Kitemaug,” Jaskiewicz says. “They deserve a tip of the hat. They were able to take a lot of the pressure off.”

 

JASKIEWICZ IS HAPPY with the way the EOC operated.

“I think the town was definitely prepared,” he says.

He is not so happy with Connecticut Light & Power. Though the power is on now, Jaskiewicz said he wanted CL&P to “work with me on opening the roads, that’s all. I didn’t see anybody until Monday afternoon.”


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