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September 16, 2010
Emergency Preparation
Two weeks ago, we kept a close eye on Hurricane Earl as it approached the United States and thankfully veered away only to give us a glancing blow. As we are in the middle of hurricane season, I thought I’d take this opportunity to let you know some of the things your local and state government does to react to these types of situations and what you should do in order to prepare for an emergency.
Here in Colchester, we have plans in place to deal with all emergencies. Our Civil Preparedness Director closely monitors any situation, participates in calls with state agencies, and recommends any action that we should be taking. If there were an emergency situation, Colchester has an Emergency Operations Center which can be activated to help monitor and coordinate any response.
One of the critical components to preparing for, and actively managing, an emergency situation is communication. If a situation occurs with warning (such as a hurricane), the town will disseminate information through our e-mail distribution list, website, and the local media. Another way we can get the word out is through the state’s reverse 911 system which allows us to deliver a recorded message to most households with land based phones. To ensure that you will receive these messages on the phones you choose, please sign up for the alerts at www.ctalert.gov .
During or immediately after an emergency, the town’s primary objective is to preserve and protect life through rescue efforts and medical response. If you need emergency assistance, please call 911 immediately. Otherwise, please monitor local communications and the radio for other instructions.
The best way to make it through an emergency is to be prepared. If you haven’t already, please visit www.ready.gov to see what is recommended in terms of a plan and an emergency kit. Residents should be prepared to go at least a week or two without electricity and essential services. Please ensure that you have enough food, water, and other critical supplies to cope with a situation such as this.
Hopefully, we will never need to deal with a prolonged disaster. However, we can not be complacent and let a false sense of security envelope us. Some disasters can’t be averted and we must all be prepared to deal with them.
57 Fest
On September 25th, Colchester will once again celebrate being named the 57th best place to live by CNN/Money Magazine in 2005. I am often asked why we continue to call it the 57 Fest after 5 years have passed or why we even continue to celebrate the event.
My answer is simple. Whether it is 2005 or 2010, I have always known that Colchester is a great place to live. We may have problems like any other growing town, but nothing comes close to the community we have established here in Colchester. Our amazing school system, service organizations, volunteers, and youth activities all combine to form a place we call home.
Even though the economy may not be in great shape and we have local issues that we are dealing with, I firmly believe that we need to take the time to celebrate what we have been able to build here. In time, we forget what troubled us and remember why we chose to live in this community. Some of you have lived here your whole life, and some of you are newcomers. I invite all of you to attend our 57 Fest and celebrate what is great about the community you have helped build and now call home.
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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