When Nature Throws A Curve,

Newtown’s Police, Firefighters Adapt

By Andrew Gorosko

During the freak October snowstorm that cut electric service to nearly everyone in Newtown, town police routinely made a point while patrolling of looking for any storm-related problems that required their assistance, said Christopher Vanghele, the police department’s administrative lieutenant.

While doing so, police were operating in “snow-mode,” driving four-wheel drive vehicles, instead of their standard rear-wheel drive sedans, he said.

In certain cases, in which motorists vehicles’ simply became disabled in the snowy conditions, police took note of the situation, but then proceeded to address more pressing storm-related matters, he explained.

The lieutenant termed that approach a form of “triage,” in which the most urgent matters are handled first, and then successively less serious issues are addressed.

When necessary, police would have abandoned vehicles towed away to enable snowplows to clear roadways, he said. The police department’s mission is to protect the public’s safety and to work for efficient traffic flow, he added.

One of the police’s storm-related tasks has been transporting residents to the town’s shelter at Newtown Middle School on Queen Street, when requested.

Lt Vanghele said the October storm made for the most extensive local power outages that he has experienced while serving as a police officer here since 1993.

Police and members of the town’s social services department knocked on all doors at the large Walnut Tree Village age-restricted housing complex on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook to check on the welfare of residents there, he said. That condo complex has nearly 200 units.

Lt Vanghele said that police received dozens of calls from out-of-state people who were seeking to contact their relatives in Newtown, but were unable to do so because of the storm. In such cases, police make health/welfare checks at the affected local properties.

As bad as it became locally in terms of electrical outages, matters could have been worse had the storm occurred during actual winter months when the temperatures are lower, he said.

Emergency Management Director Bill Halstead said the town hopes to have all local roads that have been closed to traffic due to fallen trees reopened to traffic by the end of daylight on Thursday, November 3.

The electrical outages caused by the storm are the most extensive ones that he has experienced in Newtown, Mr Halstead said.

While Tropical Storm Irene locally caused an about 85 percent outage rate about two months ago, the October 29 storm resulted in an about 97 percent outage rate, he said.

Mr Halstead, who also is the town fire marshal and the Sandy Hook fire chief, urged that residents be cautious when using electrical generators. Also, he urged that people stay away from downed utility lines.

He spoke midday Wednesday at the Sandy Hook firehouse on Riverside Road where free water supplies and free ready-to-eat meals were stockpiled for local distribution.

Mr Halstead noted that one of the most difficult aspects of responding to the many emergency calls that firefighters received during the storm and its aftermath was traveling to the incident scene.

The many trees and utility lines that had fallen under the weight of wet snow created many obstacles to travel, slowing firefighters in reaching their destinations, he said.