Town Officials Offer Many Thanks in Wake of Blizzard

Everyone knows that the Blizzard of 2013 packed a wallop with record-breaking snowfall that led to three snow days and a seemingly never-ending cleanup. The Town of North Branford closed the roads after Gov. Dannel Malloy’s travel ban.

At the Feb. 19 Town Council meeting, Mayor Anthony Candelora opened the meeting by offering his gratitude.

“I want to thank Bonnie [Therrien] and Anthony [Esposito] for their hours at the EOC; the police and fire departments and, of course Fran [Merola] and public works,” said Candelora. “We had many people who came out with payloaders and equipment. Our town pulled together and did a wonderful job.”

Deputy Mayor Joanne Wentworth echoed Candelora’s sentiments, noting everyone worked together to “do a yeoman’s job.”

Therrien agreed that the Blizzard of 2013 was indeed a “doozer” and that “everyone did an excellent job.” Of course,  there’s a hefty pricetag attached to all of the work that went into cleaning up the snow.

Though the number is not official yet, Therrien estimates that the cost for Public Works’ efforts alone for blizzard cleanup totals about $500,000. In addition, overtime for the North Branford Police Department came to $6,000.

“It was not a cheap storm by any means,” said Therrien, who noted that the town will receive FEMA reimbursement for a 48-hour period. “Gov. Malloy has asked that it be extended to 72 hours so we’re waiting to hear on that, too.”

Candelora has made contact with Senator Richard Blumenthal and State Representative Vin Candelora to “make our voice heard so hopefully we’ll be able to get more FEMA dollars for this storm.”

While Finance Director Anthony Esposito said that the town's financial report to date was mostly “unremarkable,” he noted that “the storm will have a very significant impact. It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out to see what our final costs will be.”

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