Board of Selectmen Emergency Meeting October 29, 2012
Minutes
The Board of Selectmen held an Emergency Meeting at the Emergency Operations Center on Boughton Road. First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Skip Sibley were in attendance, as was Emergency Management Director David Roberge.
First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder called the meeting to order at 3:00pm, explaining that the reason for the meeting is Hurricane Sandy and its impact on Old Lyme.
Emergency Management Director David Roberge updated the Board of Selectmen on both pre-storm actions taken and post-storm actions planned.
The EOC (Emergency Operations Center) opened on Sunday. Staff from the Police, Fire, Ambulance, Public Works, and Town Hall assisted with the phone center and preparations for the storm, including evacuation notifications. Once storm conditions were identified and it was known that Sandy would be a high flooding event, evacuation from areas prone to flooding became mandatory.
A 5 town regional shelter opened in East Lyme at the middle school and 25 Old Lyme individuals had registered at the shelter as of the time of the meeting.
Plans are in place for a post-storm respite center at the Lymes’ Senior Center. Residents will have access to ice, water, meals and equipment re-charging at the Center. Other post-storm activities will include debris management and road clearing. CL&P crews will be deployed to deal with downed utility wires.
First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder praised the “extreme volunteer effort” that had been underway since the end of last week. A Town Hall staff meeting about the Storm planning took place on Friday and a Storm volunteer meeting took place on Saturday.
She has participated in 5 conference calls with the State to date. The most recent call took place immediately preceding the Emergency Meeting and involved the First Selectmen of all the shoreline communities.
She thanked members of the Police, Fire, EMS & Public Works departments for “phenomenal pre-storm planning,” and expressed thanks to all the volunteers and to all Old Lyme residents who had taken storm warnings seriously.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder summarized the communication efforts undertaken so far to keep residents informed. Six Everbridge (reverse 911) messages have gone out. The website has been updated regularly with the updates also sent to local media. Messages have also been updated on Facebook and Twitter. The EOC call line has been activated with all calls answered or called back by volunteers. The Town Hall was open on Friday with essential staff only available to answer calls. The Town Clerk’s office was open as well for voter registration and absentee ballot applications and ballots. The First Selectwoman thanked the Town Hall staff for their cooperation and support.
Selectwoman Nosal is organizing efforts to establish a database of volunteers able to assist with volunteer recovery efforts.
Showers will be available at the high school and ice will be available from the middle school. Food & water will be available at the Respite Center at the Senior Center. The Town will continue communicating with residents, using Everbridge if necessary, and using Bulletin Boards at 5 town locations when needed.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the Town still is facing high tide later this evening.
Selectwoman Nosal said she is impressed with how well the team has worked together.
She thanked Don Bugbee and Cathy Frank for assisting her with organizing the request for post-storm volunteers to help the community heal. She asked what the Respite Center hours would be. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder is not sure what day the center will open
but expects the hours to be 8 or 9am to 9pm. The hours will be flexible based upon needs.
Respite Center information will be posted on the website and on the bulletin boards in Town.
Selectman Skip Sibley asked about residents who have elected to stay despite the mandatory evacuation. Mr. Roberge said EMS will conduct wellness checks by phone where possible. The EOC will also focus on checking on residents for out of town family and friends who call to inquire about their status and safety.
First Selectwoman said they are tracking storm related expenses and will notify the Board of Finance when the threshold of $20,000 is approached. She has been in contact with Board of Finance chair Andy Russell to alert him.
Mr. Roberge said a State of Emergency has been declared by both the Town and the State. President Obama has signed a Declaration which will make FEMA involvement and funding a possibility. He added that lessons we learned during Hurricane Irene have enabled the EOC to do an exceptional job of communicating with residents about Sandy.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder said communication and volunteers were identified as areas for improvement during Irene and that suggestions for further improvement are being made by volunteers during Sandy.
Mr. Roberge said the LOL High School will be made available as a shelter for first responders and he would like to open it to municipal personnel as well.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder spoke with Town Assessor Walter Kent about the need to extend the deadline for Filing Personal Property Forms. The current deadline is November 1.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to extend the deadline for filing Personal Property Forms with the Assessor to a date to be determined.
Motion passed. Selectman Sibley suggested that the Selectmen may be able to set a date at their November 5 meeting.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder noted that the Governor has extended the deadline for Voter Registration from 10/30 at 8pm to 11/1 at 8pm.
The minutes of this emergency meeting must be posted within 72 hours and will be posted as unapproved minutes at the Selectmen’s request.
A motion to adjourn was made by Selectman Sibley at 3:25pm, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal. Meeting adjourned.
Recorded by
Catherine Frank
10/29/2012
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