Norfolk Shows What Community Resilience Really Is

The expression “when it rains it pours” is quite apropos for what has been happening in Norfolk over the past nine months.

Who could have scripted a scenario where our little town of Norfolk could be hit with not one, not two, not three but four major events in nine months. First was the gas spill in November, the largest gas spill in Connecticut history. Then came 30 inches of snow in March that required us to declare a state of emergency so we could get assistance from other towns to help in the clean-up. Now there’s the flood and its aftermath. It was bad enough to have nine inches of rain in an hour on Sunday, July 9, but the additional rain on Sunday, July 16 really did not help, washing out much of the repair work from the week before.

Each of these events has shown what a great community Norfolk is. With each event, the true dedication of our volunteers showed. The Emergency Management Team, led by Richard Bryne; our dedicated Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department and the Public Works Department, led by Troy Lamere, all know their jobs and work together to keep us safe.

All these events were major. The gas spill cleanup goes on. We are getting closer to the end, but it is still very disruptive for so many. The flood damage will take years. The bridges on Smith Road and Old Goshen are completely gone. The engineering, agency approvals and then construction will take time and money. With the help of State Representative Maria Horn, State Senator Lisa Seminara, and U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal, we will get Norfolk back to normal, although with all the events over the past nine months, I am not sure what normal looks like anymore.

I recently spoke to a reporter about all our misfortune, and they asked what the general feeling here was. I told them that we are from Norfolk, and we do not let these little things bother us. It is business as usual, and the show must go on.

Enjoy your summer, and forget about all the problems. WIN weekend is coming up, so take in what Norfolk is really all about—outdoor recreation, music, cultural events and, most of all, friendship.

Take care and stay healthy.