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HARTFORD, Conn. ? Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has instructed the task force appointed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene two months ago to expand its review to include the recent pre-Halloween noreaster that left a record of nearly 900,000 households without power.
Malloy also renamed the group The Two-Storm Panel. The task force, co-chaired by Joseph McGee, vice-chairman of the Business Council of Fairfield County, was scheduled to meet Wednesday morning in the Legislative Office building in Hartford.
Formerly known as the S.T.O.R.M. Irene Panel, the eight-member group had originally been charged with reviewing the preparedness, response and recovery efforts of the state and its partners including the utilities and municipalities related to Hurricane Irene.
Our state was hit twice in a short period of time by devastating weather events that created a lot of havoc and revealed vulnerabilities that should have been addressed years, if not decades ago, Malloy said.
With that in mind, I also want to ensure that whatever changes we make as a state whether its through legislation, changes in best practices, or anything else are adjustments that will actually work when put into practice and are not quick fixes that might look good on paper but wont result in actual improvements in future emergency events, Malloy said.
The governor was scheduled to address the panel Wednesday, which was also planning to hear a presentation by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on regulatory requirements and budgets for utility company tree trimming, as well as presentations by several municipal and utility officials on tree management.
A video conference with utility experts from Florida was also on the agenda.
Look for an updated story on Wednesdays hearing on MSCs websites later today.
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