Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has created an 8-member panel to review the state, local and utility company reaction to Tropical Strom Irene, which crippled parts of Connecticut late last month.
The panel consists of representatives from municipal government, the business community first responders and non-profit agencies among others.
"Now that peoples' power has been restored, the initial FEMA declarations are signed, offices are opened and the recovery effort is well underway, it's time to move forward with a comprehensive assessment of how the state of Connecticut prepared for, handled, and is recovering from Irene,'' Malloy said in a press release this morning.
"And I don't just mean state agencies, or the power companies; I mean the entire state. Yes, it's important to understand why power was out for so long, but it's just as important to understand how state agencies performed, how local officials performed, and how the private sector reacted. We need an honest assessment of what we did right, what we could have done better and what needs to be done the next time we have a weather-related event such as Tropical Storm Irene."
The panel will be known by the acronym STORM Irene -- which stands for State Team Organized for the Review of Management of Irene.
The aim, said Malloy, isn't to point fingers or place blame. "It's about making sure that we are as prepared as we can be the next time this sort of event occurs," he said.
Those appointed to the panel are:
Joe McGee (Co-Chair): Vice President, Business Council of Fairfield County and former state economic development commissioner
Major General James Skiff (Co-Chair): U.S. Army, Retired
Peter Carozza: President, Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters
Terry Edelstein: President, Connecticut Community Providers Association
Lee Hoffman: Attorney, Pullman & Comley Environmental Law and Energy and Utility Matters
Scott Jackson: Mayor, Hamden
Robert McGrath: Former Fire Chief, Stamford
Cathy Osten: First Selectman, Sprague
