Hurricane Irene: Town Assesses Preparedness and Recovery

New Milford officials met Wednesday to review the borough's response to Hurricane Irene and assess areas that can be streamlined and improved.  

Mayor Subruzi, Council President Howard Berner, Councilwoman Randi Duffie, Councilmen Dominic Colucci and Peter Rebsch, along with Borough Administrator Christine Demiris, Police Chief Frank Papapietro, and Public Works Acting Superintendent Mike Calamari met for the discussion, which centered on ways to better deliver emergency messages to residents — particularly when the PSE&G substation is flooded, resulting in town-wide power outages.

Chief Papapietro said he is in discussions with the vendor that provides the town with reverse 911 calls to include automated text and Twitter messages. He is also gathering information about the flood siren system used by Hillsdale that is triggered to sound when the water in the reservoir reaches flood level, he said. This siren system provides residents with timely information on eminent flooding and can be a useful real-time tool in assisting the police department with evacuations and car removal from flood prone streets.  

Chief Papapietro also reported that there were no injuries to residents or emergency service responders during Hurricane Irene.

Waste disposal was the main topic of recovery assessment. Because Tropical Storm Lee followed directly on the heels of Hurricane Irene, trash removal was stalled in the flood prone areas due to prolonged water. Residents of Columbia Avenue, Ulises and Arlene Carbrera, shared their in the aftermath of the flood. Mold, the smell of perishable food, unbagged trash floating in the water were cause for concern for many residents in that area.

Going forward, it was agreed that a list of approved ways to dispose of trash will be provided to all residents by inclusion on the town's website and the recycling calendar. It will also be sent as a separate notice to all residents who live in flood prone areas.

The merits of compacters as first responders in waste removal versus dumpsters was discussed at length. The concern associated with dumpsters is the possibility that food refuse would be thrown into them. Also, with so many areas affected, the question was raised as to how to get the dumpsters to the affected areas where people need them most. Because Irene was immediately followed by Tropical Storm Lee, there was prolonged water and it was impossible to get dumpsters down certain streets.  

It was agreed that in the event of another emergency situation a combination of compactors and dumpsters will be used. Because compactors are a more efficient and sanitary system of waste removal, especially for the disposal of food, they will be the first method of waste removal. The effects of each storm will determine if dumpsters are needed as an additional form of waste removal.