Editors Note: With the East Coast approach of Hurricane Isabel, WestportNow presents this update on emergency preparedness based on comments made at the Sept. 2 meeting of the Representative Town Meeting.
By Denis McCarthy
Westport Fire Chief
The town maintains a public shelter at the Long Lots School. The capacity of that shelter is about 200 residents. It is run by the Red Cross. During a typical winter storm, power outage, or hurricane we get 25 to 30 residents.
Surprisingly, we get residents far in from the coast that are frightened and alone during an emergency. The shelter provides an important place for them to have camaraderie and care at the same time.
It is not extensively used during a disaster. We did have a study in the late 80Ғs, early 90s by the Army Corps of Engineers that identified the total population that would be subject to flooding or significant wind damage during an event. That becomes our worst-case scenario for planning purposes.
We have been instructed to develop sheltering capacity for 650, well beyond the 30 or so that we have experienced in the past.
When Staples is open, we will have generating capacity in the auditorium, the cafeteria, the field house and the old gym, food supplies and for the central heating unit that will provide the excess capacity for a once in a lifetime event.
This, hopefully, would be for the very, very rare event, the typical ғ100-year storm that is going to wreak havoc and make the Compo Beach neighborhood, lower Hillspoint Road and Saugatuck Shores uninhabitable for a period of time.
We also have at GreenԒs Farms School the capacity to provide auxiliary power into the school that would serve as a feeding station and some respite care during the day but not necessarily for overnight shelter.
Although, the town did not build, could not afford or chose not to afford, making Staples High School a shelter that could withstand an earthquake and the worst of the hurricanes, I feel that based on where we are and our experience, we are well positioned for providing a place of refuge for residents.
