Conn. Panel To Discuss Rebuilding After Sandy
MILFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Connecticut's two U.S. senators are meeting with federal, state and local officials to discuss rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy and steps that can be taken to blunt future storm damage.
Sen. Chris Murphy says shoreline residents could benefit from gauges in the Long Island Sound that could project valuable, time-sensitive storm surge information. But Murphy says federal budget issues have eliminated the personnel needed to operate the gauges.
Conn. Panel To Discuss Rebuilding After Sandy
"Another reason why we've got to stop these automatic budget cuts from continuing to hollow out the federal treasury is that it puts Connecticut at risk if we have gauges out in Long Island Sound but we don't have anybody to operate them," he said.
Murphy is hosting a roundtable discussion on Friday at the Milford Town Hall. He is expected to be joined by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Various state senators, representatives, mayors and environmental activists are also expected to participate.
Murphy's office said officials hope to coordinate a storm preparedness plan based on what they learned from last year's major storms.
Murphy also said more needs to be done to combat climate change and the ferocity of storms it brings.
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