Simsbury Radio? It May Be There Next Time There's a Storm

For many, the memory of the October snowstorm and the power outage that followed becomes more distant as time passes. But for the board of selectmen’s public safety subcommittee it is still front and center.

At the subcommittee’s most recent meeting on Jan. 19, members went over next steps as plans to improve the town’s preparedness and response to such events continues.

The subcommittee has looked at several reports Gov. Dannel P. Malloy commissioned about the storm and ways to improve preparedness and response (, and — these were announced in Simsbury), as well as two town created reports.

The pubic safety subcommittee also held a pubic hearing on Dec. 15, 2011 seeking input from residents about ways to improve.

Deputy First Selectman John K. Hampton, chairman of the public safety subcommittee, said now all of those comments and reports are being distilled into a one-page action list. At the Jan. 19 meeting members went over 2012-2013 budget requests for emergency preparedness from the public works department, Simsbury Police Department and social services.

At the public hearing Dec. 15 and in the several reports about the storm one thing was clear — communications was an area where there needs to be improvement.

To that end some of the actions the town is proceeding with include starting a designated radio station for Simsbury. Hampton said creating a radio station is not that difficult and in fact there will be a trial in February.

Other communications improvements include having more sandwich board signs around town for information and possibly hiring a communications person for the town. Use of Twitter, Facebook and the town’s web site will also be enhanced.

The chamber of commerce was an important partner in getting out information, and the hope is to organize such efforts.

A tree trimming plan for the town is another action item as is seeking waivers so that the most in need and frail residents can be placed in care facilities versus housing them in the town shelter.

“We are working with State Rep. Linda Schofield and others so that we can expedite people to McLean or other facilities,” said Hampton.

Enhanced generator systems for the town hall and the high school are being sought and Hampton said the town is working with town schools in order to utilize their reverse 911 system.

Hampton said private schools in town such as and have been contacted and were supportive of working more collaboratively with the town. Hampton said the town may assign liaisons to each private school.

He said the private schools contacted also were investing in bettering their own equipment to prepare for such an event in the future. Working with the private schools could take the shape of possibly using the dormitories.

“They’ve been very willing,” said Hampton of the private schools in town.

Hampton said there are also plans to make it easier for Tariffville residents to find help during floods, power outages and the like.

There are plans in the works to retrofit with showers and generator capacity so that residents in that area of town are not cut off from help.

Hampton said he is moving forward with a clergy summit in town as most churches are interested in improving ways to help their parishioners and others during such times. The clergy would also like to coordinate efforts.

“If parishes can take care of their parishioners that’s a big deal,” said Hampton.

A church might have a group of men who can chainsaw, for example. Organizing and coordinating such efforts will help during the next disaster in town.

Hampton, a member of , said that church is seeking ways to be more supportive and self-sufficient as is in Tariffville. He said that preparedness may include buying generators.

“Had the church been open in Tariffville that would have been huge,” he said.

The is seeking to purchase a trailer sign (the kind that are often seen telling you how fast you are going when you pass), that could send out different messages and be moved around town.

Hampton said the subcommittee is moving forward on many of these initiatives to get them into the current budget season deliberations.

Some initiatives such as one from the social services department to create large orange refrigerator magnets containing important information and numbers will cost only a few thousand dollars.

Members of the board of selectmen are also moving forward with an adopt-a-senior program so that the elderly have someone looking out for them.

Another piece of this is helping people be more prepared at home, said Hampton. Reminding residents to get gas, cash and water for instance, and other ways to be prepared.

Better technology for the emergency operations center that opens up in town hall during emergencies is another part of the plan. Technology such as GPS can be enhanced and finding ways to better track where power is out for example.

Some initiatives are ways to organize staff, such as creating something like a storm resource center to give residents a place to get information and to alleviate the pressure placed on other departments that are doing the work of managing the storm and its aftermath.

The storm’s total cost is still unknown, but the debris cleanup totaled $3.5 million.

No one wants to think about a next time, but there will be one. And as bad as the October storm was, it could have been worse. Imagine if that power outage happened in the middle of winter when temperatures can be in the teens or colder? That is what keeps the subcommittee and the town committed to preparing for the next time.

Tips from the pros: the town’s Emergency Management Director Kevin Kowalski has been vocal about offering tips and reminders to people on how to get prepared.

• Sign up for CT Alert phone system (sign up with home phone and cell phone). Sign up here http://www.ctalert.gov.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a free 204-page booklet called “Are You Ready?” that is available at the town hall and firehouses. You can also download a copy for free here http://www.ready.gov/are-you-ready-guide.
• The web site has information about preparedness, including the town’s plan, (http://www.simsburyfd.org/).

Storm recap: The storm started Saturday, Oct. 29, and that weekend the dispatchers at the Simsbury Police Department received more than 500 calls to 911. The town was also receiving Avon’s 911 calls as their system was down for 12 hours.

The calls ranged from wires down to car accidents, fires, sparking wires and damage to homes due to the falling trees and limbs. More than 20 structures had damage and there were four fires.

The fire department responded to more than 100 emergency calls in the first two days of the storm. Normally, the department responds to about 60 calls a month. Each firehouse was staffed around the clock for 10 days.

The town’s shelter opened Saturday night at . That first night, 29 people stayed at the shelter. During the nine days it was in operation, a total of 7,423 people checked in. The shelter served a total of 5,960 hot meals and 1,220 people slept there.

A pet shelter in the basement of Simsbury High School had around 70 animals at one point — from dogs to birds and ferrets.

For a period of time the entire town was without power, as were many surrounding towns.

Connecticut Light & Power was slow to respond, with one line crew in town, but eventually there were 195 line crews in town helping to restore power.

At the height of the storm, more than 38 roads in town were inaccessible.