Hurricane Irene Plus Poor Cell Phone Service Caused Major Delays in Restoring Power to Town!

As told to me by Rob Mallozzi —Selectman:

When Hurricane Irene came to town on Sunday August 28th it caused . Because our cell coverage is so poor in many parts of town, out of state utility repair crews working with CL&P could not coordinate their work or communicate with each other. They depended upon using their cell phones which for the most part, did not work. It also prevented these crews from coordinating with the Town .

Many of the out of state crews reported that too many calls failed. Later in the repair cycle, the EOC provided these crews with CERT two-way radios according to Jim Cole, New Canaan Police Commissioner. Both Rob Mallozzi and Jim Cole are key managers within the EOC system.

By the end of the day on Sunday, about . At one point about 100 roads were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Some residents were even blocked from leaving their neighborhoods. Our town Emergency Operations Center did a wonderful job keeping many residents up to date on where power was restored and roads cleared. Of course if your home lost power, your phone may not have worked nor could you make or receive cell calls so you missed the messages from Mike Handler the Director of the operation.

The Town is dedicated to improving our cell phone service but every resident needs to play a role as well. Without better cell phone service, serious safety issues can arise. When a 911 emergency call does not get through, people's lives may be at risk!

Our Selectman says he's dedicated to helping to improve cell service. To do this he'll need citizen support. Residents need to voice their concerns about any aspects about using cell phones, as well as ideas for support. For a few it may even mean that the words "cell towers" are not  dirty words.

Please complete the town cell phone survey. Go to the town website. Scroll down under the heading News and Events until you see Town Wide Cell Phone Survey. It will only take you seven minutes to complete the survey.

We've already heard from 45 residents who reported that they have made 911 emergency calls that were not completed. These were calls for fire, police or emergency medical help. From my perspective, even one missed 911 call is too many.

I'd love to hear from you about your cell phone experience in our town.

Thank you.