NORWALK – The city is sending emergency equipment and city firefighter to Hickory, North Carolina, to assist in the state’s response and recovery efforts to last week’s Hurricane Helene disaster, Mayor Harry Rilling announced Thursday.
The mayor’s announcement follows Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to deploy an urban search and rescue team to help with the hurricane relief efforts. On Friday morning, Governor Ned Lamont and Major General Francis Evon, commander of the Connecticut National Guard, sent off a unit of 16 soldiers and two helicopters to North Carolina. Additionally, line workers and staff with Connecticut utilities Eversource, which owns Yankee Gas, and Avingrid, which owns United Illuminating, have already started helping out on the ground there.
“Hurricane Helene has caused unimaginable devastation across the South, including to those living in Hickory, North Carolina, where communications have been compromised between emergency rescue crews, residents and their local government,” said Mayor Rilling. “The City of Norwalk stands with the people of Hickory, North Carolina and everyone impacted by Helene and hopes that our efforts to help reestablish communications in this area can make a difference in people’s lives. I want to thank members of Norwalk’s bravest for dedicating their time to help the people of North Carolina during this horrific time.
Norwalk Firefighter Peter Chila will join a group of seven other personnel from Stratford Fire Department, Westport Fire Department and Westport Police Department on a mission to set up communications where local radios and cell phones have been knocked out from Hurricane Helene. This group of firefighters and police officers will deployed Friday and return on Oct. 14.
Additionally, they will bring the Fairfield County Hazmat Command & Communications Unit, a regional asset that is stationed in Westport, known as “Field Comm-1” in an effort to reestablish communications between emergency responders and local government. The City of Norwalk is also deploying a Norwalk Fire Department utility truck and ATV to help navigate roads that have been severely compromised from the damage.
The City of Norwalk will be reimbursed for these efforts through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to Rilling.
