Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau, an emergency management specialist and the local leader of a volunteer clean up will be the panelists for "Hurricane Sandy: Lessons Learned," a panel discussion to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 3, at Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield. This free community discussion is sponsored by Fairfield University's Master of Public Administration Program.

The First Selectman will be joined by Bob Kenney, the regional coordinator for Connecticut's Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and Katie Boland, a Fairfield native who teaches in the social studies department at Trumbull High School. After Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, Boland and two of her childhood friends looked for ways to help their hometown. They organized the Hurricane Sandy Beach Clean Up on November 11, drawing about 1,000 volunteers who came to lend a helping hand.

Mark LeClair, Ph.D, director of the Master of Public Administration Program and Lynch Chair of Economics, will moderate the discussion.

"Natural catastrophes of this magnitude always present considerable challenges, regardless of preparation, to those in government and the nonprofit sector who must step in to address the devastation," said Dr. LeClair. "So many things were done right in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It is always possible, however, to identify areas where resources could have been redirected or mobilized faster to improve the response to those affected. This event is intended to create a conversation both about the successful response of the town, state and nonprofits to the devastation caused by Sandy, and to find some common ground regarding the best response to the next storm of this scale."

For more information, contact Elizabeth Hastings at ehastings@fairfield.edu or visit www.fairfield.edu/mpaevent .

Posted On: 09-13-2013 11:09 AM

Volume: 46 Number: 44