Murphy Visits Simsbury Shelter

On his first major stop on a tour of devastated areas, Rep. Chris Murphy was at the Simsbury shelter Tuesday afternoon.

He praised the efforts in Simsbury at making the shelter a welcoming facility and said he and others are pressing the federal government for more help from the Department of Energy. And officials are ready to apply for FEMA money as well.

Repair crews from other states were promised that then did not show, he said. But even if they had, that does not mean the lights would be on as there is still so much debris that needs to be cleared.

He said he is pressing for more help while asking for people to be patient. He called this storm and its destruction "unprecedented."

"People have to have some degree of patience," said Murphy, who lives in Cheshire, which has damage as well.

He said a crisis like this shows the strength of a community and Simsbury is "lucky" to have a team of local officials and volunteers that are keeping things running.