Suffield Shelter, Emergency Center Ready for Hurricane

Suffield's emergency management center and shelter are both ready in advance of the impending severe weather from Hurricane Irene.

The shelter at is operational and staffed, as is the emergency management center at Town Hall. Supplies, generators, power connections, communication lines and equipment are in place as the town prepares for the hurricane.

Angelo DiMauro, an animal control officer in Suffield, is confident about the building's capability to provide refuge from the weather.

"We have the facility here to handle the situation," DiMauro said. "Everything has been prerehearsed."

The shelter, with cots located in the school's gym, housed four Suffield residents and four pets on Saturday night. An emergency medical technician is present and there are some provisions, including a substantial amount of water. The building has a power generator, air conditioning and, for now at least, TVs.

Residents are encouraged to bring pets as long as they have a crate and rabies certificate. DiMauro called the shelter "animal friendly." Animals are housed in a separate area but people staying in the shelter will be able to spend time with their pets.

DiMauro praised the various town departments and leaders for working as a cohesive unit, facilitating preparations at the shelter and across the town.

"I'm proud to work for this town because we have everything under control," he said. "We have such great leadership."

 DiMauro will stay at the shelter as long as the storm and its effects are felt.

"I'm here for the duration," he said.

John Woods, the town's emergency management director, Nancy Woods, his wife, and Rob Cross of the Air National Guard Fire Department are set up in Suffield Town Hall.

The three have cots set up and will be waiting out the storm.

The communication equipment is live and plugged into the state emergency operations center and, through that link, connected with the emergency management centers in every town in Connecticut. Suffield Police dispatch logs, Google Earth maps and more are also available to help coordinate the town's response.

John Woods said the system is expandible and adaptable, allowing more personnel to be called to duty and plugged in as weather and conditions worsen.

"Right now we're in a stand-by mode," he said.

There is staffing at both the emergency center and at the shelter around the clock, according to Woods. Firefighters and emergency medical technicians are spending the night in all four of Suffield's firehouses.

Woods offered two pieces of advice: stay off the roads during the storm and stay away from downed power lines.