Town Holds Hurricane Irene Preparedness Meeting

Numerous town department heads, elected officials and emergency personnel gathered in l Thursday morning for a hurricane Irene preparedness meeting.

“It looks likely that it will impact us in some shape or form,” Adam Libros, the town's director of emergency management and fire marshal, said to those gathered.

During the meeting, officials talked about potential rescue operations, pre-fueling vehicles and tanks, preparing personnel and numerous other planning details.

Officials also discussed opening the Emergency Operations Center at the police station if necessary and Nancy Mala from Connecticut Light and Power said the company could send a representative free of charge to help staff it.

Libros began the meeting with a little about the hurricane and the science of the storms as he showed radar images, the project storm path and other data.

At the time Irene was near the Bahamas, had wide “outflows” and was generating sustained winds of 115 miles an hour, down slightly from the night before. Land and cooler water could weaken the storm but its projected trajectory showed the eye of the storm headed right toward Central Connecticut and the rain was expected to come Saturday afternoon and the worst to hit late Sunday. 

“If it goes into this projected path it’s going to have a major impact in the northeast,” Libros said.

He added that it could change but a shift to the east could mean more rain and to the west more wind. Tornadoes are a good possibility as well, especially on the northeast side of the hurricane eye, he added.

And even a Category 1 hurricane has 75-mile an hour sustained winds and gusts up to 100 miles an hour. That and a predicted 8 to 10 inches of rain could mean trouble for Canton, especially in areas like Old Canton Road and Cherry Brook, Libros said.

“That could cause some serious problems,” he said.

In many cases, department heads said preparations were well on track.

Fire apparatus, ambulances, a rescue boat and other tanks are full and personnel ready to go, Town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS chief Richard Hutchings said.

In addition an ambulance will be moved to North Canton should the storm hit so each end of town is covered in the event of some major roadway blockages. He said the department will also monitor whether the need to staff fire stations ahead of time will be necessary.

“We’re as ready to go as we can reasonably expect,” he said.

Department of Public Works Highway foreman Rick Lassen reported a similar scenario. Trucks and tanks were topped off and the town’s sand supply is good, he said. Personnel is also ready to mobilize and roughly 50 to 60 sand bags had already been filled as of Thursday morning, he added.

Due to its proximity to the Farmington River, the department is also ready to move its trucks to the Collinsville fire station if need be.

The river was also the main concern of Water Pollution Control Authority Superintendent Roger Ignazio, Jr. but he said things were otherwise in good shape at the facility.

Food in freezers is a concern at the schools but there is a generator at Cherry Brook, school district business manager Ed Hoyt said. He also said Martel Transportation may decide to move its buses to the high school since they are also near the river.

The schools would also provide a backup shelter to the community center and the district was preparing for the possibility that the storm could delay opening day on Monday, he said.

Officials discussed many other details as well. Senior and Social Services Claire Cote said she has a list of volunteers willing to help bring people to the community center and assist with any shelter needs and the town’s finance officer Amy O'Toole went over the documentation needed should the town qualify for partially federal storm reimbursement.

Near the end of the meeting, Libros reminded everyone at the meeting to make sure crews take precautions to benefit themselves and those they help.

“Safety is paramount,” he said. “Safety is number one for all of us.”