In case you didn’t notice, New Haven has an emergency.
President Obama noticed.
He granted Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s request Sunday to make an official declaration that Winter Storm Nemo — which dumped 34 inches of snow on New Haven and 40 on Hamden — has created an “emergency” in Connecticut.
That means Connecticut can qualify for “direct federal assistance, including possible snow removal equipment and personnel, power generation, and other commodities,” according to a press release from the governor’s office. “The declaration also provides federal disaster funding for 75 percent of the cost of emergency protective measures incurred by municipalities, state agencies, and eligible nonprofits for a 48 hour period.”
The governor also directed “non-essential” state workers (that’s a term of art; don’t take it personally) to stay home Monday. He asked other people who need to go to work to carpool. Emergency crews still have a lot of work to do on difficult-to-negotiate roads.
“I understand that everyone wants to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Crews are working around the clock to accomplish that goal. But the last thing we need at this point is a typical morning rush hour commute. Traffic build-up will only delay the effort to clear our roads,” the release quoted Malloy as saying.
State courthouses will be closed Monday. So will New Haven public schools.
Since rain is predicted for Monday, maybe we should think about shoveling our roofs. Let's not forget the collapse of the roof of the Hartford Coliseum. The added weight of water can soak into a sponge of snow and create a significant stress on roofs, depending upon their pitch.