2015 Emergency Preparedness Guide (NorwichBulletin.com)

BE PREPAREDWHEN AN EMERGENCY ARRIVES

AUGUST 30, 2015

INSIDETips for staying safe

Prediction: Storms will be more intense

Your town’s emergency contacts

A2 Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015 | The Bulletin

A3The Bulletin | Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015

PACK A PUNCHSTORMS CAN

Prepare now to avoid damage to your home, cars and data

By Ellen Chang MainStreet

A s heat waves continue to emerge and peak hurricane season is

on its way soon, homeowners should prepare for power fail-ures and fl ash fl ooding which could take down your access

to electricity for several days.Many coastal areas are still

prone to fl ooding from storms, tornadoes and hurricanes even though the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration predicted the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, will be below

normal. The NOAA is predict-ing a 70% chance of 6 to 11 named storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, including three that become hurricanes.

“A below-normal season doesn’t mean we’re o! the hook,” NOAA Administrator

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Kathryn Sullivan said. “As we’ve seen before, below-normal seasons can still produce catastrophic impacts to communities.”

As hurricane season begins, consum-ers should start prepping their homes by checking their supplies and cur-rent homeowner’s and auto insurance coverage. Avoid waiting until the last minute to buy fl ood or wind insurance, because some companies require you to purchase it 30 days before it becomes e! ective.

Homeowners should take photos of their home and valuable items and download the pictures to a website so they can retrieve it remotely in the after-math of a storm for an insurance claim. Developing a current inventory of your possessions with their make and model numbers can speed up a claim and verify losses for your income tax return, said Jim Gustin, a senior property specialist at The Travelers Companies, the Hart-ford insurance company.

Tasks prior to a stormStocking up on food, bottled water

and other essential items such as prescription drugs for a week is impor-tant, said Peter Duncanson, director of disaster restoration training for ServiceMaster Restore, a Memphis, Tenn.-based residential disaster resto-ration company. Create an emergency container fi lled with cash, a fi rst aid kit, batteries and blankets. Make sure you add spare phone chargers and fi ll up your vehicle’s gas tank.

“Estimate that each family member will need a gallon of water every three days and have a ready supply of nonper-ishable foods,” he said.

Ensure your data is not vulnerableStart by backing up your data on a

regular basis. Digital encrypted copies of your paperwork which contains personal or fi nancial information like insurance policies, account numbers, pay stubs and even W-2s come in handy, said Brian Berson, CEO of FileThis, a Mill Valley, Calif.-based automated digi-tal organization platform that fetches and organizes personal documents from your computer or mobile devices.

“While businesses have IT specialists who carve out sophisticated disaster recovery plans, consumers usually don’t think about having a plan in place for a

disaster,” he said. “Free apps like Ever-note or FileThis keep digital copies of important documents in the cloud, which means disasters can’t destroy personal data as it is not stored on local computers or filing cabinets.”

Communication is keyWhile texting has become more

readily available after a storm or hur-ricane has landed, don’t expect it to work all the time. Cell phone towers are often damaged and temporary cell sites on trucks may not be available in your area. Appoint a meeting location to meet just in case you get separated.

Depending on where you live, venting about your power outage via a tweet might get your electricity restored faster. A platform created by OMNETRIC, a joint venture of Siemens, the German engineering company, and Accenture, the Irish consulting firm, extrapolates public data from social media and combines it with real-time weather, GPS, photos and information from customers submitted via Facebook or Twitter. Working with San Diego startup DataCapable, the company imple-ments the data to determine where the outages are, finds the closest repair truck and gives the team more visual information to assess the repair before they arrive.

“Utility repair crews often approach the scene without full knowledge of what may have caused the outage, what potential challenges or dangers may be present and what tools may best suit the necessary repairs,” said Wade Malcom, CEO of OMNET-RIC Group North America, based in

Minnetonka, Minn. “The technology gives utilities access to the time stamp, GPS coordinates and visual clues, pro-viding a repair crew with a 360 view of fi eld conditions.”

If the storm knocks out your power for days or weeks, a power inverter can come in handy by using your vehicle as a power source. They allow a car’s battery to run a variety of electronic devices, including phones, laptops and cameras, said Arthur Romero, an owner in the Houston area of seven Batteries Plus Bulbs, a Hartland, Wis.-based battery supply company.

“Be sure to purchase extra power inverters for your car,” he said. “They come in a range of sizes and power capacities, with a starting price of about $20. Get your vehicle battery tested to make sure it will work for you during a storm.”

Purchasing LED fl ashlights might be more economical, because they use the least of amount of power

and some of these lanterns and fl ash-lights can last up to 200 hours on one set of batteries, Romero said.

It may seem like a throwback to another decade, but a battery-powered, two-way or hand-crank radio can be extremely handy to give you weather updates and evacuation instructions. If all your electronic devices are out of power, the radios can give you other information such as the time and infor-mation such as road closures.

In the aftermathAfter assessing the situation, take

photos to document the damage. One of your fi rst calls should be to your insur-ance agent or a company which can assists in the cleanup process.

“Begin water cleanup and removal within 24 to 48 hours to avoid mold and further water damage,” said Duncanson.

Mold growth in your home is a major concern, because it can lead to health problems such as asthma and upper respiratory tract symptoms, said Robert Weitz, a certifi ed microbial investigator and founder of RTK Envi-ronmental Group, a Stamford, Conn. environmental testing fi rm. A certifi ed mold inspector can test and assess the damage.

Recovery after an immense storm is unpredictable, said Gabriel Lugo, franchise operations director of 911 Res-toration, a Van Nuys, Calif. restoration service company.

“Damage from a simple fl ooding can be taken care of in three to seven days depending on the level of destruction, but the worst e! ects from a hurricane can take months to fully recover from,” he said.

POWERFrom Page A3


Before the stormWith the fi rst signs of an approaching

hurricane or winter storm, make sure we have your up-to-date contact information, so utility providers can get in touch before, during and after the storm.

Home use medical devicesIf you are a home medical device user, it

is important that your device works during a power outage and that you have a plan in place to ensure you know what to do.

By completing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration booklet with the help of a healthcare professional, “Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity,” you will have an established plan to obtain and organize your medical device information, take

necessary actions so that you can continue to use your device, have the necessary supplies for the operation of your device, and know where to go or what to do during a power outage. Remember to update this booklet as your treatment, doctors, caregivers, or personal contacts change.

PreparationsHere are some other preparations that

you can make before a storm hitsStock up on non-perishables, such as

canned goods and pet food, and make sure you have adequate medical supplies and prescriptions for yourself and your pets.

Pick up some paper goods: paper plates, paper towels, plastic ware.

Turn the temperature controls on your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting to keep food cold in the event of a power outage.

Fill several large containers with water for drinking and also fi ll the bath tub so you have water to fl ush your toilet.

Keep fl ashlights, batteries, candles and matches on hand and make sure they are available throughout the house.

Have a battery-powered radio available.Make sure you have fresh batteries that

are the correct size for the fl ashlights and radio. Be sure there’s a fi rst aid kit in the house.

Fill your car with gasoline since you don’t know where you’ll have to go.

Your car can also be a good place to get warm, as long as you keep it well ventilated and don’t go to sleep while it is running.

Be prepared to cook outside. You can use charcoal or propane grills or even a camping cook stove if the power goes out. However, never bring grills inside!

Have extra gasoline on hand if you own an electric generator.

Place a list of emergency numbers near a phone (landline, since cordless phones don’t work during outages) and in your mobile phone: Red Cross, fi re, police, familydoctor.

SEE TIPS, A6

Tips to help weather thestorm


Invest in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). During a momentary power outage, the UPS will continue to provide power to your personal computer. (A UPS is not designed to operate a computer indefi nitely, only long enough to allow users time to save their work and shut down properly.)

Hurricanes and other severe weather

If a severe weather or hurricane warning is put into place, and the storm becomes imminent, take the following precautions. Some of the items below can be done well in advance of a storm, while others should be done a day or two a major storm is forecast to impact your area.

Tape, board or shutter windows and glass doors.

Secure all outdoor objects that could become airborne by high winds.

Tie down mobile homes or moored boats, or move them to a safe location.

Wedge sliding glass doors to prevent them from lifting from their tracks.

Load up a cooler with ice and food you can use during the fi rst hours of an outage.

In the winter, close o! unused rooms to

conserve heat. Open curtains and shades to let sunlight in; close them at night. Stock up on fi rewood.

Plug sensitive computer and electronic equipment into surge suppressors or surge protectors. A surge suppressor diverts excessive electrical energy away from your

equipment to an electrical “ground” where it disappears without doing any harm.

During a stormBe attentive to severe weather warnings.

Leave your home if authorities order an evacuation, especially if your home is in anarea that fl oods easily.

In frigid weather, if your power is likely to be out for more than a few days, you may want to call your plumber and ask about draining your home’s water pipes so they don’t freeze and burst. Your automobile is a good place to charge your cell phone or stay warm during a storm, as long as you keep it well ventilated and don’t go to sleep while the motor is running.

You can always cook outside on a grill or camping cook-stove.

However, never bring grills inside!Foods in your refrigerator and freezer

should be consumed quickly, particularly in the event of a potentially lengthy outage, before they have a chance to spoil. If the temperature is cold enough outside,

TIPSFrom Page A5

SEE TIPS, A7


food can always be placed in a cooler outside to prevent it from spoiling.

If you don’t have surge protectors/suppressors, unplug your sensitive equipment. Voltage irregularities can occur for any number of reasons during or after a storm, especially if there has been damage on or near your home. The safest thing to do is to unplug any sensitive electrical devices (TV, VCR, stereo, microwave, computer, answering machine, garage door opener, etc.).

Downed power linesAlways make sure to stay away from

downed wires and trees that might have wires caught in them.

Report any downed wire you may see by calling us or local emergency personnel.

Stay clear of all fallen tree limbs and electrical wires as well as anything they are touching — such as puddles and metal fences. Assume all downed wires are “live” and stay away.

If you’re in a vehicle and downed wires are on the car or across the road, stay in your car until emergency crews arrive to handle the energized wires. It is safe to use a cell phone while inside your car.

Keep your distance from any downed power line.

Don’t drive over downed lines, and if a downed line is in or near water, keep your distance from the water, even a little puddle.

GeneratorsIf you’re using a back-up or emergency

generator, follow these safety guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety:

Never install a generator inside a home or in any other enclosed space—even if windows are wide open.

Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a poison you cannot see or smell. Using a generator indoors can kill you within minutes.

Locate a generator well away from your home, making sure exhaust cannot easily enter in through windows or doorways.

Never try to power your house by plugging a portable generator into a household outlet. This can feed electricity back into the power lines— enough to electrocute a line worker, or a neighbor on the same circuit.

The safe way to connect a generator to your existing wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch. When improperly installed, home generators of any size — even small ones — can backfeed enough power onto the electrical grid where it is “stepped up” to very high voltages.

Emergency shelterIf you or your family need heat,

air conditioning, power and a more comfortable place to wait out a power outage, particularly in very cold or very hot weather, you can call your local fi re or police department or local Red Cross chapter to locate an emergency shelter.

After the stormEven after a storm has passed, it is

important to remain alert to potential hazards that could have resulted from an

outage or storm. Here are some potential safety hazards to be on the look-out for:

If you have to drive, watch out for trees and wires in the roadway. Do not drive across a downed power line. Treat all nonworking tra! c lights as stop signs and proceed cautiously at intersections.

Stay clear of all fallen tree limbs and electrical wires as well as anything they are touching—such as puddles and metal fences.

Notify local fi re, police, and electric utility o! cials about downed power lines.

Do not enter damaged buildings with fl ame lanterns, candles or lighted cigarettes because there may be gas leaks.

Plug in and then turn on your appliances one at a time to avoid a power surge.

—Content provided by Eversource

TIPSFrom Page A6


By Chris MooneyThe Washington Post

A river delta is, by defi nition, a place in fl ux — coastal land naturally sinks, and is natu-rally rebuilt by the fl ow of a vast river that carries in new sediment. Across the globe, from the Amazon to the Nile to the Yangtze, we humans rely on such deltas for the many benefi ts they bring — access to fi sheries, good locations for shipping, and much else.

But we don’t just rely on them — we change them. We dam rivers upstream and channel-ize them downstream - actions that reduce the fl ow of sediment and, thus, the growth of land. Meanwhile, we cut channels through wetlands and cause land to sink further by pulling lots of oil and gas and water out of it.

Such changes have an insidious conse-quence: Even as they entice larger populations to live on deltas by providing jobs and the sem-blance of environmental stability, they also increase long-term vulnerability to storms and fl oods by exacerbating the land’s sinking. Meanwhile, global warming makes the whole dynamic worse because it introduces a huge arrow pointing in only one direction — sea level is going up, and up, and up.

Now, a sweeping new study released in

Science this month takes a comprehensive look at how much such factors are increas-ing the vulnerability of 48 major global river deltas, the home to 340 million people — including the Mississippi River delta, which lies between the city of New Orleans and the sea.

“We characterized the rate of change of risk in delta systems due to combined land subsidence, sea level rise, geophysical set-ting, and socio-economic capacity to protect themselves,” explains lead study author

Zachary Tessler of the City University, who conducted the research with scholars from three additional universities.

When it comes to human perturbations of the system, river deltas range from the pristine Yukon in Alaska, which is relatively lowly populated and has been little changed by humans in a way that would make it more vulnerable (much of it is a wildlife refuge), to the Ganges-Brahmaputra of Bangladesh and India — home to over 100 million people, where human activities and sea level rise are pushing the risks forward dramatically.

Based on these two factors — how much human activities and sea level rise are changing a delta and worsening its plight, and how much it is exposed to storm and fl ood risks — the study found a complex tapestry of changing risks, depending on the delta. On the one hand, the Yukon wasn’t at much additional risk at all. “It’s defi nitely clear that some of these deltas are almost completely untouched, that tends to be at the high latitudes,” says Tessler.

However, most of the deltas showed at least some increased risk, and some showed quite a lot of it. In particular, the heavily pop-ulated Krishna and Ganges-Brahmaputra

deltas had the most rapidly growing riskof fl ooding related disasters. “They have. ..lots of dams, lots of development on thecoastline, wetland loss - we expect the rela-tive sea level rise that’s happening there tohave a large impact on the risk outcomes ofthe communities,” Tessler says.

Indeed, Bangladesh has historically beenthe home to the deadliest tropical cyclone (orhurricane) disasters known to history, includ-ing the 1970 Bhola cyclone, which struck thisvery delta, the Ganges-Brahmaputra, andcaused 300,000 to 500,000 deaths.

But there’s another key factor involved indetermining a given delta’s risks - a society’swealth, which translates into its ability to pro-tect itself. Thus, while the Mississippi Riveris heavily managed and has been changednearly beyond recognition by humans,the delta also has a high level of artifi ciallyimposed resilience - with vast levees alongmuch of the river to prevent fl ooding, not tomention New Orleans’ huge new hurricaneprotections.

A similar story can be told about the Rhine, heavily altered by humans but alsothe home to arguably the world’s most impressive fl ood protections, constructedby the Dutch.

River deltas across the world are in major trouble

Floodwaters surround a car in uptown New Orleans in 2011 as high winds and rain batter the Louisiana coast as Hurricane Katrina made landfall. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO


By Chris MooneyThe Washington Post

James Hansen has often been out ahead of his scientific colleagues.

W i t h h i s 1 9 8 8 c o n g r e s s i o n a l testimony, the then-NASA scientist is credited with putting the climate change issue on the map by saying that a warming trend had already begun.

Now Hansen — who retired in 2013 from his NASA post and is now an adjunct professor at Columbia University ’s Earth Institute — is publishing what he says may be his most important paper. Along with 16 other researchers , inc luding leading experts on the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, he has authored a lengthy study outlining a scenario of potentially rapid sea-level rise combined with more intense storm systems.

It’s an alarming picture of where the planet could be headed — and hard to ignore, given Hansen’s reputation.

Top scientist projects more intense storms

SEE STORMS, A10


But it may also meet considerable skepticism in the broader scientific community, given that its scenarios for sea-level rise occur more rapidly than those ratified by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its latest assessment of the state of climate science, published in 2013.

The authors conclude that 2 degrees Celsius global warming — the widely accepted international target for l i m i t i n g w a r m i n g — i s “ h i g h l y dangerous.”

The research appeared online this week in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion, an open-access journal published by the European Geosciences Union in which much of the peer review process, in effect, happens in publ ic — a paper is uploaded, other scientists submit comments on it , and the authors respond.

The new paper takes, as one of its starting points, evidence regarding accelerating ice loss from parts of the planet’s ice sheets, especially West Antarctica. One of the co-authors on

the new paper, Eric Rignot of NASA, was the lead author of a 2014 study that suggested, as one NASA news release put it, that the decline of West Antarctica could now be “irreversible.”

In the new study, Hansen and his colleagues suggest that the “doubling time” for ice loss from West Antarctica — the period over which the amount of loss could double — could be as short as 10 years. In other words, a non-linear process could be at work, triggering major sea-level rise in a time frame of 50 to 200 years. By contrast, Hansen and colleagues note, the IPCC assumed more of a linear process, suggesting only about 1 meter of sea-level rise, at most, by 2100.

“If the ocean continues to accumulate heat and increase melting of marine-terminating ice shelves of Antarctica and Greenland, a point will be reached at which it is impossible to avoid large scale ice sheet disintegration with sea level rise of at least several meters,” the new paper says.

Us i n g c l i m a t e m o d e l s a n d a n analogy with the Eemian period — an interglacial period 120,000 years ago that featured considerable sea-level rise — the paper goes on to suggest that major ice loss from both Antarctica and Greenland will change the circulation

of the oceans as large volumes of cold, fresh water pour in. This freshening or decreasing saltiness of the ocean, at both poles, could ultimately block the oceans’ overturning circulation, in which (in the Northern Hemisphere) warm water travels north and then colder, denser water sinks and travels back south.

As the paper notes, there is already evidence of such cooling in the North Atlantic — presumably because of ice loss from Greenland.

Around Antarctica, meanwhile, sea ice has been growing — potentially another indicator of cooling and freshening at the ocean surface because of ice loss from the frozen continent.

In the model employed by Hansen and his co-authors, this cooling and freshening of the oceans eventually leads to a shutdown of the oceans’ circulation, with warm waters trapped below a cold, fresh surface layer in the Antarctic region continually eating away at ice sheets from below. It also triggers a globe with ever-warming tropics but cold poles — leading to a large contrast in temperatures between the mid-latitudes and the polar regions.

This scenario depends on major ice loss from Greenland or Antarctica happening relatively quickly — an assumption that lies at the center of the new paper.

And while the paper expresses doubtswhether a continued non-linear growthwill occur in Greenland, it concludesthat “if (greenhouse gases) continueto grow, the amplifying feedbacksin the Southern Ocean, includingexpanded sea ice and (Southern oceanoverturning circulation) slowdown,l ikely wil l continue to grow andfacilitate increasing Antarctic massloss.”

So is this abrupt climate changescenario really something we shouldtake seriously?

Michael Mann, a climate researcherat Penn State University who reviewedthe paper at The Washington Post’srequest, commented by email that“their case is most compelling wheni t comes to the matter o f West Antarctic ice sheet collapse and thesubstantial sea level rise that wouldresult, potentially on a timescale asshort as a century or two.” But Mannwas skeptical of other aspects of thework, including whether ice loss fromGreenland and Antarctica wouldlead to a near-total shutdown in thecirculation of the oceans.

Mann said, “Whether or not all of the specifics of the study prove to becorrect, the authors have initiated anabsolutely critical discussion.”

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By Laura FirsztNetworx

You pay hundreds of dollars for home-owner’s insurance. It’s required coverage for everyone who takes out a mortgage, yet people seldom go over the fi ne print of their policy, to fi nd out what is covered, the dollar amount, and any deductibles. Before disas-ter strikes, why not inform yourself about how, exactly, your homeowner’s insurance protects you?

Your home’s structureHomeowner’s insurance will pay toward

the rebuilding of your home if it’s damaged or destroyed by certain natural disasters. (These include fi re, lightning, hail, hurri-canes, and if you live in Florida, “catastrophic ground cover collapse” -- sinkholes, in lay-person’s terms.) The policy also covers outbuildings such as detached garages or toolsheds.

Important: If the unthinkable happens and you need to rebuild, you’ll be able to collect only up to the amount of coverage. To illustrate: Say you have insurance for $250,000. The cost of reconstructing your

home comes to $400,000. You’ll have to pay $150,000 ($400,000 minus $250,000) out of your own pocket.

Your personal possessionsYour personal possessions are included

in your homeowner’s policy, in case of theft, vandalism or natural disaster as above.

Coverage on home furnishings, clothing, electronics and similar usually is equal to 50-70 percent of the insurance on your house. In the previous example, where you have $250,000 worth of insurance, your belong-ings would be covered for $125,000-175,000.

Landscaping — trees, shrubs, and bushes on your property — is covered at the rate of 5 percent of your house insurance.

Valuable belongings like coin or stamp collections, jewelry, or furs are insured, usually with a limit on the dollar amount.

This portion of your policy is not limited to the contents of your home and yard. It provides coverage of your personal items o! premises, too … at the o" ce or on vaca-tion, for instance. In addition, it protects you against fraudulent use of your credit cards, normally to a maximum of $500.

LiabilityThe liability insurance included in your

homeowner’s policy covers your legal expenses and court awards in case you’re sued for bodily injury or property damage. This applies to both you and your family members, on your property or elsewhere. However, there’s a limit to the amount, possibly as low as $100,000, and certain types of harm, like dog bites, are excluded. Should you decide you’d like additional protection, you can purchase umbrella liability in increments of a million dollars.

Additional living expensesIf an insured disaster makes your home

uninhabitable, homeowner’s insurance willpay for additional living expenses untilthe building is repaired. This compriseshotel accommodation, restaurant bills,and related charges, as well as lost rentalincome if you normally rent out a portionof your home. Once again, the amount ofcoverage is limited. What’s more, a timelimit may apply.

What is not coveredDon’t face the prospect of an unpleasant

surprise. Learn about problems that stan-dard homeowner’s policies do not insure.In most cases, it’s possible to purchaseadditional coverage to protect againstthem.

Flooding, tsunamis and earthquakes arenot covered. If you live in a high-risk area,though, you’re legally required to obtainflood insurance to be eligible for federalfi nancial assistance on your home purchase.In addition, your mortgage lender maydemand that you purchase this insuranceeven in a moderate-to-low risk region.

Homeowner’s insurance may not cover everything


By Sarah KaplanThe Washington Post

This past November, a pair of freak snowstorms dumped a historic 70 inches of snow on the area around Bu! alo, N.Y., in a matter of fi ve days.

Now a Bu! alo maternity ward is dealing with a di! erent kind of blizzard. O" cials at Mercy Hospital told the Associated Press they’ve seen a “mini baby boom,” as the AP described it, almost exactly nine months after the “Snowvember” storm.

You know, those nine months.“Nowhere to go, nothing to do,” new

parents Jason and Stephanie Brueggeman said of those chilly November days. Their daughter Grace Elizabeth was born this week, slightly ahead of the storm-induced rush.

Mercy Hospital is hardly the first to report certain, ahem, long-term repro-ductive e! ects from natural disasters. Ever since an unexpected uptick in births was reported in the wake of the great Northeast blackout of 1965, people have speculated about the phenomenon of blackout babies.

And blizzard babies.And hurricane babies.

And even federal government shutdown babies.

The theory has a certain unshakable logic to it. There you are, two adults, trapped in the same home. The lights are o! , there’s nowhere to go, the TV may or may not be functional. The prospect of impending catastrophe - be it environmen-tal or fi scal - lends a pre-apocalyptic sense of urgency to the proceedings. Things happen.

It’s enough to convince hospital o" cials, who seem unsurprised when their sched-ules become suddenly busy nine months later.

Mary Ann Murphy, the head of

maternity services at Mercy, told the AP that she warned her nurse manager several months ago that they better buy more cribs for the ward. The hospital is on track to deliver 250 babies in August, a 25 percent increase from their monthly average.

Several New York hospitals told the New York Times they saw a similar increase the summer after Hurricane Sandy shut down much of the city for several days in 2012.

“There’s defi nitely an uptick,” said Dr. Jacques Moritz, director of the division of gynecology at St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospi-tal Center in Manhattan. “This is just old basic physiology. There’s no Internet and no cable. What else is there to do?”

Here in Washington, we have our own special variation on the disaster baby boom: furlough fertility. It’s what happens after the government shuts down for 16 days, as it did in October 2013, leaving federal employees with nothing to do but, well, you know.

Like any good urban legend, the origin of this one is largely untraceable. After all, nurses and midwives have also thought for centuries that conception and births can be a! ected by the phase of the moon or changes in the weather. Why wouldn’t they

also be linked to the likelihood of cabinfever?

But the fi rst well-documented instanceof disaster baby boom coverage was a 1966New York Times article headlined “Birthsup 9 months after the blackout,” whichreported that a one-day lapse in electric-ity on the night of Nov. 9, 1965 had led toa sharp increase in births at local hospitalsthe following summer. The reporter talkedwith several local sociologists and doctorswho claimed with absolute certainty thatthe blackout was to blame.

“The lights went out and people were leftto interact with each other,” one sociologistpolitely put it.

The blackout was a “great event” forsociologists, the article concluded, one thatwould certainly provide “a rich mine forbehavioral, sociological and psychologicaldiscovery.”

Four years later, public health scholar J.Richard Udry took the Times up on thechallenge. In a famous 1970 study in thejournal Demography, he probed six years ofthe city’s population data and found no evi-dence of a post-blackout spike. In fact, thenumber of babies born in 1966 was lowerthan in two of the four previous years.

Scientists aren’t convinced of a disaster baby boom


In all emergencies, residents should dial 911 to reach police, fi re or ambulance for immediate assistance. Power outages can be reported to Eversource at (800) 286-2000 or to Norwich Public Utilities at (860) 887-2555, depending on you your service provider is. If you smell natural gas or have a gas emergency, please call (877) 944-5325 immediately. If you have wildlife emergencies or complaints call DEEP at (860) 424-3333.

Ashfordwww.ashfordtownhall.orgAnimal Control: Christine K. Abiko! , (860) 487-4402Emergency Management Director: Thomas Borgman, (860) 487-4400 Emergency Shelter: Mansfi eld Com-munity Center, 10 South Eagleville Road, Mansfi eldFire Chief: Wayne Fletcher, (860) 429-9862Fire Marshal: Richard Whitehouse, (860) 429-6222First Selectman: Michael J. Zambo, (860) 487-4400 Health District: Eastern Highlands Health District, (860) 487-4412 or (860) 429-3325, Ext. 3901 Police: Troop C, (860) 896-3200The Town of Ashford has a list of residents to check on in the case of emergencies, such as storms, power outages, or extreme heat. If you or someone you know would like to be checked on, or you know of someone who is housebound, living alone, elderly, or who has a medical condition that may need to be checked on, please call one of the following to be added to our list: Judy Lucas at the Senior Center, (860) 487-5122; Jean Haines, Agent for the Elderly (leave message at Selectmen’s o" ce), (860) 487-4400; or Melissa McDonough, Ashford Social Services Director, (860) 487-4417.

Bozrahwww.townofbozrah.orgAnimal Control: 1-800-236-1987 Emergency Management Director: Tom Main, Jr. (860) 625-0658Emergency Shelter: Bozrah Firehouse, 239 Fitchville RoadFire Chief: Ryan Sholes, (860) 887-9474Fire Marshal: Tom Main Jr. First Selectman: William Ballinger, (860) 608-4258Health District: Uncas Health District: (860) 823-1189, Ext. 112Police: Troop K, (860) 295-9098

Brooklynwww.brooklynct.orgAnimal Control: NECCOG, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Chairman:

Kevin Filchak, (860) 779-3411Emergency Shelter: Brooklyn Middle School, 119 Gorman RoadFire Marshal: Doug Kramer, (860) 779-3411, Ext. 32First Selectman: Richard Ives, (860) 779-3411, Ext. 11Health District: Northeast District Department of Health: (860) 774-7350Police: TFC Trotter or TFC Tanksley, (860) 779-9008

Canterburywww.canterburyct.orgAnimal Control: NECCOG, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Luther Thurlow, (860) 546-9242Emergency Shelter: Dr. Helen Baldwin Middle School, 45 Westminster RoadFire Chief: Warren Robinson, (860) 546-9807Fire Marshal: First Selectman: Roy A. Piper, (860) 546-9693Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Troop D, (860) 779-4900 or 911

Chaplinwww.chaplinct.orgAnimal Control: NECCOG, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Jim Randall, (860) 455-3912Emergency Shelter: Chaplin Elementary School, 240 Palmer RoadFire Chief: Christopher Bray, (860) 455-9481Fire Marshal: Noel Waite, (860) 450-6089First Selectman: William H. Rose IV, (860) 455-0073, Ext. 310Health District: Eastern Highlands Health Department, (860) 429-3325Police: Resident TFC Paul Black, (860) 455-2069

Colchesterwww.colchesterct.gov/Animal Control O! cer: Bill Paul, (860) 917-0567Emergency Management Director: Reed Gustafson, (860) 537-7285Emergency Shelter: Bacon Academy, 611 Norwich Ave., ColchesterFire Chief: Walter Cox, (860) 537-2512 or (860) 537-3332

Fire Marshal: Sean Shoemaker, (860) 537-7284First Selectman: Stan Soby, (860) 537-7220Health District: Chatham Health District, (860) 537-7214Police: Resident Trooper Supervisor Sgt. Martin Martinez, (860) 537-7500

Eastfordwww.townofeastford.orgAnimal Control: Denis Day, (860) 377-6635Emergency Management Director: Deborah Richards, (860) 974-0133, Ext. 3Emergency Shelter: Various places, depending on needFire Chief: Gordon Spink, Jr., (860) 974-0630First Selectman: Arthur Brodeur, (860) 974-0133, Ext. 3Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Troop D, (860) 779-4900 or 911

A town-by-town guide to emergency resources

SEE GUIDE, A14


Franklin www.franklinct.comAnimal Control: Regional Animal Control Facility, (860) 642-6379 or (860) 480-1104Director of Emergency Management: Wil-liam Eyeberse, (860) 889-6126 Emergency Shelter: Franklin Fire House, 5 Tyler DriveFire Chief: Mark Nall, (860) 642-7772Fire Marshal: Eric Deschamps, (860) 234-0154First Selectman: Richard Matters, (860) 642-6055, Ext. 16Health District: Robert Powitz, (860) 388-0893Police: Troop K, (860) 537-7500 or 911

Griswoldwww.griswold-ct.org/Animal Control: Larry Proulx, (860) 376-3964 or (860) 213-1534Emergency Management Director: Fred Marzec, (860) 376-7060, Ext. 107Emergency Shelter: Griswold Volunteer Fire Department, 883 Voluntown Road; Jewett City Fire Department, as needed; Griswold Senior Center, cooling center. Fire Chief: Tom Holowaty, (860) 376-4996Fire Marshal: Fred Marzec, (860) 376-7060, Ext. 107First Selectman: Kevin Skulczyck, (860) 376-7060, Ext. 201Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Police: Resident trooper, (860) 376-2583 or Troop E, (860) 848-6500

Hampton www.hamptonct.org/Animal Control: NECCOG, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Dan Meade, (860) 933-1282Emergency Shelter: Town Hall, 164 Main St. Fire Chief: Rick Schenk, (860) 455-9957Fire Marshal: Noel Waite, (860) 450-6089 or (860) 234-8716First Selectman: Allan Cahill, (860) 455-9132, Ext. 2.Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Troop D, (860) 779-4900

Killinglywww.killingly.org/Animal Control: (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Randy Burchard, (860) 779-5315Emergency Shelter: Killingly Intermediate School, Upper Maple StreetFire Marshal: Randy Burchard, (860) 779-5315Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Resident trooper, (860) 779-3900

Town Council Chairman: John Hallbergh, (860) 779-6380Town Manager: Sean Hendricks, (860) 779-5334

Lebanonwww.lebanontownhall.org/Animal Control: Regional Animal Control Services District, Michael Murphy and Scott Trahan, (860) 642-6379 or (800) 236-1987 (for emergencies only)Emergency Management Director: Byron Lennox, (860) 642-7111 or (860) 642-6100 Emergency Shelter: Lyman Memorial High School, 917 Exeter RoadFire marshal: Scott Schuett, (860) 208-6089First selectman: Joyce Okonuk, (860) 642-2011 (2)Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Police: Resident trooper Collin Konow, (860) 642-2011 (6) or Troop K, (860) 537-7500

Ledyardwww.town.ledyard.ct.usAnimal Control: Kimlyn Marshall, (860) 464-9621Emergency Management Director: Russell Shaw, (860) 464-8705Emergency Shelter: Ledyard High School Gymnasium, 24 Gallup Hill Road

Fire marshal: James Mann, (860) 464-6858Health District: (860) 448-4882Mayor: John Rodolico, (860) 464-3221Police: Resident Trooper Sgt. Je! rey McDer-mott, (860) 464-6400

Lisbonwww.lisbonct.com/Animal Control: Regional Animal Control (860) 642-6379 or (emergencies) (800) 236-1987Emergency Management Director: Jona-than Arpin, (860) 625-0026Emergency Shelter: Lisbon Central School, 15 Newent Road or Mahan School, 94 Salem Turnpike, NorwichFire Chief: Mark Robinson, (860) 376-2558Fire Marshal: Richard Hamel, (860) 917-2669First Selectman: Thomas W. Sparkman, (860) 376-3400Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189, Ext. 113Police: Resident TFC Michael Browning, (860) 376-8868, Ext. 5001

Montvillewww.townofmontville.orgAnimal Control O! cer: Christian Swanson, (860) 848-3529Emergency Management Director: Ray-mond Occhialini, (860) 848-4063, Ext. 381

Emergency Shelter: Montville High School, 800 Old Colchester Road, Oakdale or East Lyme Middle School, 31 Society Road, NianticFire Chief: Joseph Giangrasso, (860) 848-3004Fire Marshal: Raymond Occhialini, (860) 848-4063, Ext. 381Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Mayor: Ronald K. McDaniel, (860) 848-3030, Ext. 1Police: Lt. Leonard Bunnell, (860) 848-7510 or Sgt. James Smith, Resident State Trooper

North Stoningtonwww.northstoningtonct.govAnimal Control: Karcher Deshefy and Krys-tin Maine, (860) 287-2197Emergency Management Director: Marc Tate, (860) 535-2877, Ext. 33Emergency Shelter: North Stonington Elementary School, Route 2Fire Chief: Charles Steinhart V, (860) 535-0937Fire Marshal: George Brennan, (860) 599-3829First selectman: Nicholas H. Mullane, II, (860) 535-2877, Ext. 10Health Director: Frank Greene, (860) 484-1922Police: Resident trooper: (860) 535-1451

GUIDEFrom Page A13

SEE GUIDE, A15


Norwichwww.norwichct.orgAnimal Control: Michele Kellough, (860) 887-5747City Manager: John Bilda, (860) 823-4192Emergency Management Director: Gene Arters, (860) 887-1018Emergency Shelters: John M. Moriarty School, 20 Lawler Lane, Teachers’ Memo-rial Middle School, 15 Teachers Drive, Uncas School, 280 Elizabeth St. Ext., Kelly Middle School, 25 Mahan Drive (serves as special needs shelter for persons with disabilities). Fire Chief: Kenneth Scandariato, (860) 892-6080Fire Marshal: James Roberts, (860) 887-2780Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Mayor: Deb Hinchey, (860) 823-3743, (860) 887-4646 or (860) 608-2165 Police: Chief Louis J. Fusaro, Sr., (860) 886-5561, Ext. 130.

Plainfi eldwww.plainfi eldct.orgAnimal Control: Karen Stone, (860) 564-8547 (911 if an emergency)Emergency Management Director: Paul Yellen, (860) 230-3013Emergency Shelter: Town Hall, as neededHealth District: Northeast District, (860) 774-7350Fire Marshal: Paul Yellen, (860) 230-3013First selectman: Paul E. Sweet, (860) 230-3001Police: Chief Michael G. Surprenant, (860) 564-0804

Pomfretwww.pomfretct.orgAnimal Control: Northeast Regional Animal Control, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Derek May, (860) 974-0191Emergency Shelter: Pomfret Community School, 20 Pomfret St., Pomfret Center; or Senior Center, 207 Mashamoquet RoadFire marshal: Raymond J. Allen, (860) 974-0186First selectman: Maureen Nicholson, (860) 974-0191 or (860) 214-9755Health District: Northeast District Department of Health: (860) 774-7350Police: Troop D, (860) 779-4949

Prestonwww.preston-ct.orgAnimal Control: Patti Daniels, (860) 887-8091 (in case of emergency, call 911)Emergency Management Director: Tom Casey, (860) 887-5151Emergency Shelter: Preston Plains Middle

School, 1 Route 164, as neededFire Chief/Marshal: Tom Casey, (860) 887-5151First Selectman: Robert Congdon, (860) 887-5581, Ext. 105Health Director: Frank Greene, (860) 887-5581, Ext. 103Police: TFS Timothy Paige or Trooper Armando Bettini, (860) 887-8232 or(860) 848-6565, Ext. 5040, or Troop E, (800) 953-7747 or (860) 848-6500

Putnamwww.putnamct.usAnimal Control: NECCOG, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Edward Perron, (860) 963-6800Emergency Shelter: Dependent on the emergencyHealth District: Northeast District Department of Health: (860) 774-7350Fire Marshal: Norm Perron, (860) 963-6803 or (860) 377-6928Mayor: Tony Falzarano, (860) 963-6800Police: Chief Rick Hayes, (860) 928-6565Town Administrator: Douglas Cutler, (860) 963-6800

Salemwww.salemct.govAnimal Control: (860) 319-1306Emergency Management Director: Donald BourdeauEmergency Shelter: Salem School, 200 Hartford Road (primary) or Gardner Lake Firehouse, Route 354 (secondary)Fire Chief: Rick Martin, (860) 859-0942 or James Savalle, (860) 859-1743Fire Marshal: Donald BourdeauFirst Selectman: Kevin Lyden, (860) 859-3873, Ext. 4Public Health: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Police: Resident troopers TFC Seery and TFC Konow, (860) 859-2507

Scotlandwww.scotlandct.orgAnimal Control: Nancy Bard, (860) 455-5016Emergency Management Director: Ernest Mellor, (860) 456-7797, Ext. 1Emergency Shelter: The Public Safety Com-plex is a receiving center; residents would be directed to another town’s shelter. Fire Marshal: Dana Barrow, Jr. (860) 423-8712First Selectman: Daniel D. Syme, (860) 456-7797, Ext. 1Health District: Eastern Highland Health District, (860) 429-3325Police: State Police Troop D – Danielson 860-779-4900

Spraguewww.ctsprague.orgAnimal Control: (860) 642-6379 or (800) 236-1987 (emergency)Emergency Management Director: Robert C. Tardif, (860) 884-2874 Emergency Shelter: Sayles School, 25 Scotland RoadFire marshal: Richard A. Hamel, (860) 822-3000, Ext. 220First selectman: Catherine A. Osten, (860) 822-3000, Ext. 202Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189Police: (860) 848-6500, (860) 848-6565, Ext. 5073; 911 for emergencies

Sterlingwww.sterlingct.usAnimal Control: NECCOG (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Don Buell, (860) 564-2148 Emergency Shelter: Town Hall, 1183 Plain-fi eld Pike, OnecoFire Marshal: James Sweet, (860) 564-2074

First Selectman: Russell M. Gray, (860) 564-2151Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Resident trooper: (860) 564-7896

Thompsonwww.thompsonct.orgAnimal Control: Merry Bennett, (860) 923-1055Emergency Management Director: Ste-phen Benoit, (860) 923-9320Fire marshal: Rick Hayes, (860) 928-6565First selectman: Paul A. Lenky, (860) 923-9561Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350Police: Troop D, (860) 779-4900

Voluntownwww.voluntown.govAnimal Control: NECCOG Regional Animal Control Program (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Joseph Grenier, (860) 376-0475Emergency Shelter: Voluntown Firehouse, 205 Preston City Road Fire Chief/Fire Marshal: Joseph Grenier, (860) 376-0475First Selectman: Robert A. Sirpenski, (860) 376-5880Health District: Uncas Health District, (860) 823-1189, Ext. 113Police: Troop E, (860) 848-6500

Windhamwww.windhamct.comAnimal Control: Mark Peters, (860) 465-3087Emergency Management Director: Michael Licata, (860) 465-3044Emergency Shelter: Windham High School, 355 High St.; Windham Tech, Summit Street Extension; Student Center at ECSU, 83 Windham St. Fire marshal: Michael Licata, (860) 465-3044Health District: North Central District Health Department, (860) 745-0383Mayor: Ernie Eldridge, (860) 465-3009Town Manager: Neal Beets, (860) 465-3004Willimantic Police Department: (860) 465-3135

Woodstockwww.townofwoodstock.comAnimal Control: NECCOG Animal Control, (860) 774-1253Emergency Management Director: Ed Munroe, (860) 928-0208Emergency Shelter: Town Hall, 415 Route 169 Fire Marshal: Richard Baron, (860) 963-2347First Selectman: Allan D. Walker, Jr., (860) 928-0208Health District: Northeast District Depart-ment of Health, (860) 774-7350

GUIDEFrom Page A14

2015 Emergency Preparedness Guide (NorwichBulletin.com)

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