BRIDGEPORT–As we’ve learned in the past five years, it’s possible for a major storm to hit Connecticut. So what does a city like Bridgeport do to ensure residents are safe during a storm?
Officials say it’s all about getting the message out.
Bernice Begin has lived by Seaside Park in Bridgeport for 34 years, and her street is the first one to get wet during weather events like Superstorm Sandy.
“It was just full force, and you just watched things go up the driveway – and you thought ‘oh boy!’” Begin said.
Mayor Bill Finch can’t stop a hurricane, but he can be prepared for one.
“This room is chock-full of people from transit to hospitals, city departments, utilities,” he said of the Office of Emergency Management building.
The building is a good place to be; it can withstand category 4 hurricane winds. It’s empty now, but it’s a reminder that as we approach the height of the hurricane season this month, it is a good time to prepare before a storm hits.
So if the waves start building and the clouds start forming, what’s the first thing they say you should do to get ready? It’s simple: just hold on.
“They have to have a plan,” Finch said. “What would you do, or what would your family do if you had to evacuate?”
Then you make the kit, ensuring you have enough water, batteries, flashlights and non-perishable food.
But the city wants the word out that there’s more to do to help others. Once your family is ready, the city asks that residents get the word out and alert their neighbors about impending storms.
Terron Jones helps run the “Ready Bridgeport” initiative. “The most important part of the neighborhood plan is that we get info to all of the community in localities that people visit every day,” he said.
One such place is convenience stores, but in a city of over 150,000, it can be a challenge to reach everyone. It’s important to know that Bridgeport is not only the biggest city in Coneecticut, but it also advises and helps surrounding towns, like Stratford, Trumbull and Fairfield, to name a few. That takes the numbers that the emergency management office helps to 400,000 people.