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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume X, No. 16
Friday, April 18, 2014
Prepare now for natural disasters By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Mary Grace Keating from the Connecticut Department of Public Health shared disaster preparedness tips April 11 during a free workshop at the Middlebury Public Library. The program was sponsored by the Connecticut Community Foundation as part of the library’s Lifelong Learners Program. Keating may understand the need for preparedness better than many. She grew up here, but lived in California for a while, returning to Middlebury in 2002. “When I lived in California, we always had a duffel bag ready to go in case of wildfire,” she said. Keating, a registered nurse who trained at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, is in the office of public health preparedness and response. She said the motto in her department is “Learn to live prepared.” She noted our local emergency preparedness director is Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Chief Paul Perrotti. “I’ve know him since he was a teenager,” Keating said. “You have really committed people here in Middlebury.” Keating said she also serves as the state’s hospital preparedness coordinator and as the state Medical Reserve Corps coordinator. Medical Reserve Corps volunteers are trained to respond to public health needs in case of a disaster, and the Torrington Health District, which serves Middlebury, has one. Keating noted state hospital preparedness coordinators were put in place following 9/11. There is one in each state. Keating stressed the importance of letting local authorities know if you have a health condition that would be adversely affected by a natural disaster. For example, do you rely on medical equipment that requires electricity, or do you have medications that require refrigeration? She said some people are reluctant to share such personal information. “Public officials need to know of your special needs so they can help you,” she said. “If you know people who haven’t let officials know about their medical condition, please tell them to report it.” She also urged everyone to sign up for the Connecticut Alert system. You can find it at ct.gov/ctalert. You can sign up
Mary Grace Keating of the Connecticut Department of Public Health stands by part of the display on disaster preparedness she brought to her workshop on the subject. She spoke at the Middlebury Public Library last Friday. (Marjorie Needham photo) to receive location-based emergency notifications on multiple devices via mobile phone, email, PDA, fax, VOIP lines and text/voice messaging, and you can set the order in which messages are sent to the devices. You also can have messages sent to other locations, such as your office, your child’s school or towns in which your relatives live. Keating mentioned the Halloween snowstorm that hit this area in 2011 and said it probably left area residents without power for the longest time ever. Keating said it’s important to be prepared for such lengthy power outages. We need to stockpile water, allowing two gallons per person per day. She suggested rotating through the water supply, periodically replacing the older containers with newer ones. She said people with fireplaces need to be sure they have enough clean, dry wood to use their fireplaces as a source
of heat. It’s not enough to have wood stored outside in the weather; it needs to be where it is clean and dry. And it’s best if it is in an easily accessible location, too, so you don’t have to try to get to it under difficult conditions. “It’s nice to be able to stay in your house as long as it’s not dangerous,” Keating said. She noted the need to keep cell phones charged during power outages. That can be done by going to a charging station such as the library or Shepardson Community Center in Middlebury, or by running your car while your cell phone is plugged into it. Keating brought along a large plastic bin set up as an emergency supply kit. She suggested everyone prepare a similar kit, and then went over what the kit contained. One item was a large manila envelope containing copies of important docu-
ments. Make copies of each family member’s driver’s license, Social Security card and birth certificate and your pet(s) vaccination records. Include a list of contact telephone numbers and a list of health information. Also put in the envelope photos of your family members. Should you get separated from your family because of a natural disaster, the photos can help you reunite. Other items in the bin were a blanket, a pocket radio (with batteries or a hand crank), a first aid kit, aspirin, a flashlight, trash bags, all-purpose wipes, plastic cutlery, napkins and paper towels, dust masks, pliers, a can opener, plastic sheeting, duct tape, spare batteries, bleach, an eye dropper, a toothpaste and toothbrush, soap, a whistle, a threeday supply of nonperishable food, a three-day supply of water and books, playing cards and crayons.
The list of items is available at www. ct.gov/dph/prepare. Other resources available at that site are brochures and a video. All the brochures Keating brought to the workshop can be downloaded at the site, including the pamphlet, “Connecticut Guide to Emergency Preparedness.” For those who prefer, a printed copy of the pamphlet can be requested through the web page. The nine-page pamphlet walks readers through preparing for an emergency, starting with educating yourself about potential dangers, making a plan for you and your family and putting together the emergency supply kit. It also discusses considerations for children and those who have difficulty seeing, walking, hearing or have medical conditions. The pamphlet also has a form on which you can list important names and phone numbers. It tells you what to do in case of a number of different emergencies: natural disasters, biological emergencies, chemical emergencies, nuclear emergencies, pandemic flu emergencies and drinking water emergencies. The pamphlet is available in nine different languages. There also is a downloadable video for the deaf and hard of hearing that presents the material in American Sign Language. In conjunction with the Department of Health, the Department of Homeland Security offers emergency information in the form of pamphlets including preparing for emergencies, preparing your pets for emergencies and preparations older Americans should make. These can be ordered or downloaded at www.ready. gov when you click on “Order Publications” in the bottom left corner of the page. A longstanding issue for pet owners has been that most shelters have not accepted pets. This meant people had a choice of evacuating and leaving their pets behind or staying in their homes with their pets. Keating said, “After Katrina (in New Orleans in 2005), many people died because they stayed with their pets.” She said that has prompted officials to come up with ways to accommodate pets when their owners have to evacuate. She said Connecticut’s State Animal Response Team is working on this issue.
Rescuers use Jaws of Life By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Middlebury Acting Police Chief Richard Wildman reported the Middlebury Police and Fire Departments responded to a one-car accident Thursday, April 10, at approximately 12:27 p.m. The accident was on Route 63 southbound near the I-84 Exit 17 eastbound exit ramp. When they arrived, they determined the driver, Raymond Widziewicz, 76, of Wolcott had drifted off Route 63 for no apparent reason and then went down the right shoulder and struck a fire hydrant, a large rock and, finally, a utility pole. Widziewicz was operating a 2001 Subaru Forester Middlebury firefighters extricated Widziewicz from the vehicle, but he had no pulse and was not breathing. Police, fire, and Campion Ambulance paramedics worked on him and then Connecticut Lighting and Power personnel work to repair electric lines that fell after the Subaru transported him to Waterbury Forester in the photo hit the utility pole. The medical examiner determined the car’s driver, Raymond Hospital, where he later died. Connecticut Lighting and Widziewicz of Wolcott, likely suffered a massive heart attack just prior to the accident. (Submitted photo) Power responded to the scene
Friday & saturDAY
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Book Review................... 2 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4
Library Happenings.......... 2 Obituaries....................... 5 Region 15 School Calendar....3 Senior Center Events....3, 4 Sports Quiz..................... 6 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 6
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because some wires had come down. There were power outages in the area, including at Le Bobadel, for a short time. The Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Accident Investigation Team responded to lend a hand to the Middlebury Police Department with mapping, photographs and evidence recovery. The Connecticut Department of Transportation assisted with traffic control and a traffic pattern while police investigated. There were no other vehicles involved, and the driver was alone in the car. Wildman reported Friday, April 11, that the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said it appears Widziewicz had a massive heart attack just prior to going off the road and it was the cause of his death. Middlebury Police also were expecting to receive assistance from inspectors with the Connecticut Motor Vehicle Department Vehicle Safety Division, who were to examine Widziewicz’s vehicle and determine if any me-
chanical defects may have contributed to the accident. Weidziewicz’s obituary said he graduated from Fairfield University in 1959 and taught social studies at Seymour High School for 35 years until his retirement. Area residents may have known him through his memberships in the Connecticut Education Association, Connecticut Education Association - Retired, Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut and the National After School Association. He also was a board member at the Wolcott Library for 10 years, and was on the Greater Waterbury Cable Council, Waterbury Advisory Board and the Democratic Town Committee. He was a member of the Derby Elks Lodge #571, Polish American Club in Naugatuck, SVAS and a social member of Catholic War Veterans St. Michael’s Post 1562. Sgt. Desmarais and Officer Demers are the investigating officers. The police department asks anyone who witnessed the accident to call them at 203-577-4028.
Boy Scout Troop 444 Annual Flower Sale What: Assorted potted flowers on sale When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: On the green in Middlebury
Lady Panthers slug Barlow
Middlebury Easter Egg Hunt
Page 6
What: Annual Easter egg hunt for children ages 3 to 10 When: 1 p.m. Where: Shepardson Community Center field (Rain date April 26)
Heritage Village Concert What: When: Where: Info:
Phoebus Three performs; reception follows 3 p.m. Sarah Cooke Hall in Heritage Village Tickets $20 at the door; call 203-405-1910 for more information
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