Dear Pat Llodra and staff:

I would like to congratulate you on doing an extraordinary job in keeping us in the loop on what town officials have learned about power outages and other storm-related damage. You and your team have worked to expediently resolve issues and identify resources available such as showers, water, ice, etc, and identify the rough timing for when power would be restored.

I was without power, phone, and cell coverage at home, but got e-mails while working remotely at the Hideaway Cafe. Some days I received three or more e-mail updates from Pat, which I forwarded to friends in town who are not on your e-mail list. Last night, I spoke with my neighbor who has been out of town all week with her family — and very concerned about the storm-related damage, and what she would come back to when she got home. She is relatively new to Newtown (~2 years). I have been sending her all your updates. She said, “Wow — Pat and her staff did a terrific job in providing updates; it made me feel really comfortable that they know what is going on, know what needs to be done, and what needs to be communicated to people to help them get by. This makes me feel really good about Newtown.”

When my phone coverage was restored I also got the phone updates where Pat provided additional information as well as her office and cellphone numbers in case there was a need to contact her directly about a specific concern. This is way above the call of duty, and just goes to show how truly Pat cares about the welfare of Newtown. The daily communications made a tough situation much more endurable. God Bless You!

Karen Keating

7 Oak Ridge Drive, Newtown                           September 3, 2011