To The Editor:
As noted in your coverage of the Board of Selectman’s public hearing (09/22/2021) regarding the distribution of $8.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, an issue repeatedly raised by the public centered on the flooding of Deadman’s Brook and the effects of rising flood levels and a pattern of worsening storms.
Friday night I attended an impromptu meeting of property owners affected by Deadman’s Brook flooding, incumbent District 9 RTM Representative Sal Liccione and candidate for 1st Selectman, Jonathan Steinberg.
Although the meeting drew more questions than solutions, by its end, one flood related issue arose that needs to be addressed promptly: the matter of public safety during major storm events.
During last year’s Hurricane Isaias and recent major storms, the lack of Town-implemented public safety measures (early warning alerts to residents/businesses, emergency-lit roadblocks in areas prone to inundation, etc.) makes questionable the existence of a community-wide, organized Flood Emergency Plan for response to storm-related disasters.
Almost 50 years ago, the 1st Selectman’s office, the DPW, the Fire Department and Police Department drafted an Emergency Management Plan and conducted drills to practice for every anticipated emergency.
Where is that plan now? We can only hope that it hasn’t been relegated to some cob-webbed shelf, sharing space with other forgotten plans and studies.
The abatement of Deadman’s Brook flooding may be too expensive and only minimally beneficial for the Town to pursue, but what justifies stinting on efforts to preserve the public health, safety, and welfare of the residents of our Town?
The good news is that we may not have to wait much longer for a response to this apparent need if incumbent RTM member Sal Liccione and candidate Jonathan Steinberg win on Election Day, November 2, 2021.
Very truly yours,
Gloria Gouveia
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