Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that about 200 federal, state, and local emergency management officials will gather in Wallingford for a hurricane preparedness workshop on Thursday, July 15.

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) is hosting the 5th Annual Hurricane Workshop for Local Emergency Management Directors at the Mountain Ridge Conference Center at 350 High Hill Road.  

“Hurricane season is here, and we want to be ready for anything Mother Nature throws our way,” Governor Rell said.  “Communication during a weather emergency is crucial, and this workshop will help ensure that emergency management officials at all levels of government are well coordinated.”

The last hurricane to hit Connecticut was Hurricane Bob in August 1991 and accounted for nearly $3 billion in damage and 10 deaths in the Northeast. It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in New England since Hurricane Gloria in September 1985.

Workshop participants will include local, state and federal partners, including the FEMA Region 1 Acting Administrator.  Those attending will receive hurricane tracking information, an update from volunteer organizations that are active in disaster response and an overview of hurricane preparedness for the Millstone Nuclear Plant.