Emergency Director: New London Remains Prepared For Hurricane

As Hurricane Isaac bore down on the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, morning clouds over New London parted for a sunny anniversary of Hurricane Irene.

The storm struck Connecticut on Aug. 28 of last year, and although it was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm it caused significant damage across the Eastern Seaboard, primarily by flooding. Irene killed 41 people in the United States and caused an estimated $15.8 billion in damages, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In New London, one house was destroyed by a falling tree and downed limbs and trees caused damage to other residences and power lines. Two sailboats broke their moorings and washed ashore, although one was later . Beaches were eroded from to .

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But Reid Burdick, emergency management director for New London, said the city was fortunate when compared with other communities in the state.

“New London fared very, very well during Hurricane Irene,” said Burdick. “Our damage was little. We had very little issues with power outages.”

Burdick said the city’s storm response plan worked well during the tempest, with the only major issue being power outages that took longer to resolve than a Connecticut Light & Power liaison indicated. As such, the city's response plan has not been significantly changed for future storms.

During Irene, Burdick joined the , , and to . Residents and businesses were instructed to take in loose items. An emergency center was set up at the , and was also available for this purpose.

Burdick said New London has an advantage of terrain when it comes to hurricanes, as there are few areas of flat land or marsh and water is able to drain quickly to sea. The city also has a hurricane barrier, completed in 1986, which helps discharge water from unusually high tides.

Burdick said hurricane preparation is an ongoing task. The city recently established a new emergency operations center at the fire department headquarters, the same location as the unified command center that was used for . Burdick said this allows for a permanent focal point for response to major emergencies as well as the management of large downtown events.

In addition, the city recently participated in a hurricane readiness drill. The statewide exercise had agencies respond to a simulated Category 3 hurricane.

“It was a very good opportunity for us,” said Burdick. “The city’s had a change in form of government. We’ve had some new employees. It was a very good opportunity for people to interact with one another and see who’s who and do some Q&A.”

Tree trimming work by Public Works aims to reduce the number of limbs falling on power lines. Burdick says the city also has a strong relationship with the Red Cross.

Burdick said people should be aware of the potential for severe weather during hurricane season, which begins on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. Individual preparations should include:

• Having supplies including three days of food and water, batteries, a first aid kit, and a week’s worth of medications.
• Establishing an “ICE,” or “in case of emergency” phone number, in your cell phone
• Setting a rallying point for family members to rendezvous if the need to leave home arises

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