Mayor: Our Emergency Response Team Gets a B+

The only thing more unpredictable than Mother Nature, is how a city will react before and after she unleashes her fury. Through meticulous planning and organization, Norwalk's emergency management team prevented Hurricane Irene from bringing the area to its knees.

"No emergency management team ever gets an 'A', said Mayor Richard A. Moccia. "Nothing is perfect, but I'd give our people and the job they did a 'B plus."

Planning for Hurricane Irene began as soon as the National Weather Service saw it show up as a blip on their radar screens. Norwalk's Office of Emergency Management devised a plan that included police and fire departments, American Red Cross, volunteers, and utility companies. It came off without a hitch.

"It was a fulfilling experience in a lot of ways," said Tad Diesel, who works in Norwalk's Office of Emergency Management. "The plan came together the way it was supposed to come together. The team knew what their responsibilities were and put into action the way it was supposed to be put into action. I really would've been surprised if the city could've done better."

The nearly 15,000 residents in town still without power may not be as generous in their grade for the emergency management team as the mayor is, but as far as restoring electricity, his hands are tied.

"I can't control CL&P or any utility company," Moccia said. "I understand their frustration. There is no elected official who wants to have people sit around for four days without power. We can complain, but it doesn't mean anything is going to get done faster."

The sun came out on Monday morning and shined some light on the destruction Hurricane Irene left in her wake. More than 80 trees were knocked down, traffic lights are still out, and complaining is in.

"It's going to be an inconvenience for the next few days," said Diesel. "But when you consider the scope of things and how bad it could've been, I think the vast majority of people understand how things are going to be."

The department of public works is working extremely hard to cut and clear trees from roads so the utility companies can come in to repair power lines and activate them. Many area schools are expected to open this week and the mayor is making it one of his priorities to ensure that happens.

"I've asked CL&P to concentrate in areas where our schools are located," he said. "We want schools to open on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest."

Moccia is hoping people in Norwalk will remain patient after making it through the worst storm the city has experienced in the last 25 years.

"It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was as bad as we thought it would be," said Moccia.