Patch Boots in the Trenches: Covering Tolland's Snowstorm

So this is a departure from the usual town council story or photo gallery of Tolland kids doing cute things. For once, the reporter has a story of her own!

Woohoo! Time to clear my throat and force myself to write in the first person...

Reporting from the EOC

While every Tolland resident has a tale to tell from our two weeks last October without power, and for many, without water, I feel like I was in a unique position at the Emergency Operations Center.

As a Tolland Patch editor and an AOL employee, I do not work for the Town of Tolland. But residents reached out to me and to each other through social media during the outage for town information. The Tolland Patch Facebook page exploded with questions about power restoration, downed wires and Halloween celebrations.

And so I worked close to Tolland's first responders, public works department, public safety employees and town manager as an impromptu conduit for communication, especially after the town's email system shut down.

It was a balancing act. For example, Public Safety Director John Littell and Public Works Director Clem Langlois, Jr. were having a serious discussion with CL&P staff members, when I learned from a reader on Facebook that previously unmarked wires were hanging dangerously low.

Especially since Patch is my first job out of journalism school, I was often unsure of how to approach the situation. Would it be out of place to interrupt? But as an important public safety issue, isn't it my duty to report information right away?

I took a look around for Town Manager Steven Werbner, but he was on one of his many, many phone calls with government and CL&P officials. No luck there.

Fortunately, I must have looked unsure enough of myself to get Chief Littell's attention, so I quickly informed him about the wires, and the address was added to the endless list of blockages and downed wires lining the fire training center walls.

Crisis averted for the moment, but the situation was reminiscent of my time there again and again. Town employees were running themselves ragged, but Tolland Patch readers had questions. It was tough fitting in questions with officials who had no spare time.

Making the Best Out of a Tough Situation

While it may have been difficult to get a hold of certain employees during the day, I can say town officials did not forget that Tolland was looking for information. They remembered that a reporter can always use another story.

I was able to get regular reports from Chief Littell, Director Langlois and Mr. Werbner, and they went out of their way to help me tell Tolland's story.

I was always ready to run at a moment's notice with camera and notebook in hand, just in case Chief Littell yelled for me to jump in a car and head to an emergency scene.

And fire department members were courteous enough to take me around town to see the damage first hand. Fire Public Information Officer Seale Tuttle and former department member Mike Pascuzzi drove around with me to take pictures of the damage.

Beyond helping me out with stories, the staff and volunteers at the EOC truly made the experience more bearable with their thoughtfulness.

At the time of the storm, I was living with my best friend's family in Glastonbury while I looked for housing closer to Tolland. (Editor's Note: I was officially hired as the Tolland editor only a few weeks before the storm hit. And yes, Kat, you finally get a shout-out on Tolland Patch!)

While we had a generator in Glastonbury, it was only wired to run certain portions of the house. As befits a great tragedy, the coffee maker was one of the casualties of the power outage.

Luckily, coffee was always brewing at the EOC, so I got my fix. In fact, I may have gotten a bit too swept up in it all since I got the worst withdrawal headache of my life on my day off that week.

Chief Littell made sure that everyone took breaks to fit in meals, which were generously donated by Stephen Boyer of The Country Butcher.

I even got a new nickname, "Boots," due to my apparently fabulous collection of footwear, all of which got a work out running around Tolland to cover the storm.

Looking back, seeing Tolland volunteers and town employees at work during the storm was truly a privilege. I discovered that they are not only selflessly giving of their time to respond to emergencies, to help distribute water or do whatever is necessary to help the town, I also learned that they are as generous to each other and their co-workers during a tough situation.

While there were stressful moments in the EOC, I would say that atmosphere was generally hectic, but rarely negative. The EOC staff pulled together and accomplished amazing tasks with their combined efforts.

Getting to Know Tolland

In addition to getting to know Tolland's first responders and employees, I would also say the October snowstorm introduced me to the true nature of Tolland. I was touched to see a virtual support system created on the Tolland Patch Facebook page. Neighbors communicated with each other offering support, and giving out information about power restoration that I often didn't have.

And of course, I will never forget the outpouring of volunteerism at the EOC and events afterwards, such as Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor day.

As a reporter, the storm forced me to explore the limits of social media, how to use widgets to give real-time info to readers and how crucial timeliness and accuracy are in the midst of breaking news. 

It was exhausting. And I probably had the easiest job at the EOC. It probably didn't help my stress levels that my very first Election Day coverage occurred right at the tail end of the recovery effort. 

But despite the stress, I look back fondly at the October 2011 snowstorm. The damage was extensive and the gas lines sure were long, but it was a privilege to work with the EOC staff and to report for the Town of Tolland during that time.

Wherever I end up reporting in my life, the October 2011 snowstorm will always be one to remember.

So now you know the reporting side of the storm, but Tolland Patch also wants to hear your story! Please share your storm stories in the comments below, or email me at jayme.kunze@patch.com.