First Selectman And First Responders Brought Repeated Relief
First Selectman And First Responders Brought Repeated Relief
To the Editor:
I would like to send an enormous thank-you out to First Selectman Pat Llodra and the Police and Botsford/Newtown Fire Department.
I was awoken early in the morning on the 28th by my husband looking for a flashlight. A tree had fallen on the wires at the end of our driveway knocking out power and sending an eerie sound of electricity through the air. I looked outside into the darkness and saw a fire illuminating the road. The wind was so strong, trees were falling and we werenât sure if this was the worst of the hurricane. My husband called 911, but I honestly wasnât certain if anyone would respond during what appeared to be the height of the storm. I sat to console my daughter who was shaking on her bed, unsure of what to make of the situation. When we looked out the window again maybe ten minutes later, the fire department had already arrived! I was overwhelmed with a sense of relief, gratitude, and gratefulness that these wonderful people had put their lives in danger to keep us safe. Thank you so much for that, and for doing it every day!
We were geared up to be without power and made the most of it, and after adjusting, our family actually enjoyed the chance to be together without electronics, phones, and schedules. We werenât prepared, however, to do this with a sick child. As the week went on, my youngest daughter who had been sick before the hurricane, took a turn for the worse. On Wednesday she was diagnosed with walking pneumonia and bad asthma, and her doctor was not impressed with her progress by Friday. It was apparent that the inhaler was not cutting it and she needed to use her nebulizer on a regular basis, which of course couldnât be done without power.
Knowing our road is a âcut-overâ and realizing how many residents were without power, our outlook for restoration looked grim and we were expecting to be last on the list to be put back on the grid. I was so concerned about my daughter that I put a call in to Pat Llodra to see if her situation could be considered with CL&P, while stressing it wasnât an emergency but without power her condition may worsen. Much to our surprise, we woke up to a crew of workers cutting down the tree that had become a part of our landscape over the past seven days! And by early evening Saturday our power was back on!
Thank you Pat Llodra for personally following up with us in regards to our daughter, and for your constant diligence in working with CL&P and relaying information to all of the residents of Newtown. You are invaluable to our town! Hopefully Connecticut will not have to endure a storm of that nature anytime soon, but I think we will be a bit more comfortable about it knowing you are in office and that emergency personnel are here to keep us safe.
Gratefully,
Nellie Jones and Family
Button Shop Road, Newtown                              September 13, 2011