National Guard, CL&P Stepped Up During Hurricane

This past week certainly has been one of the most trying ones in state history.

While Hurricane Irene brought widespread havoc to our state, she also enabled us to show how great of a state we are; our behavior across Middlesex County was equally admirable. Our schools, churches, municipal facilities, and other places for mass gatherings opened their doors to provide shelter for those without power or who suffered damage to their property.

I would like to thank all of these elected leaders who opened the doors of facilities to provide hot food, warm showers and other basic amenities.

National guardsmen and women became a fixture in our county as they distributed meal rations and bottled water to those in need. It is a great feeling to see the friendly faces of these individuals as they greet you at your car and load it with these essentials. Thanks goes to all of these servicepeople for making this tough situation more manageable.

Connecticut Light & Power has done a good job with a very difficult situation of restoring power to approximately 750,000 individuals in our state as quickly as possible while maintaining safe work practices. 

Jeff Butler, CL&P’s president, has always made worker safety a priority and he has led his company very well through this difficult and hectic time. 

The men and women who are out in the field and working on the lines are working 16-hour days and have done a great job. Not only is their main goal to restore power but to get home safely at the end of the day. Thanks goes to all of these men and women and I wish them continued safe returns to their homes at the end of the day.

This weekend Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to open up the state parks with no cost for admission. I would like to praise the governor for having the awareness that our residents need the opportunity to decompress from the events of the hurricane. I applaud the governor for his outstanding leadership in leading our state through this disaster. 

Because of the far-reaching membership of the Chamber—2,350 businesses that employ nearly 50,000 people—I am able to observe the outstanding diversity in our County’s workforce. The men and women of our community generate income as employees in corporate, family-owned, and government organizations; as entry-level, management, or skill/trade employees.

Despite the many differences in occupation, there is a definite common denominator among those in our county and statewide workforce: everyone works hard. 

A job in any field requires a personal commitment, not just of time but effort as well. Because of the commitment that working individuals display each day, the day of rest provided by Labor Day is well-deserved. I hope that you all enjoyed it. 

Ultimately, the role that our working men and women play in the county’s business environment is a vital one. Without their effort, businesses would not be able to provide the necessary goods and services to those in the community. These businesses would have no chance to succeed.

For information, contact Matt Fraulino at (860) 347-6924 or mfraulino@middlesexchamber.com.