Obama approves emergency declaration for state; non-essential state employees asked to stay home Monday

Sunday, 5 p.m. - Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is asking all nonessential state employees to stay home on Monday, Feb. 11, as the clean up effort from this weekend's blizzard continues. However, the governor said evening and midnight shift employees should plan on reporting to work as normal on Monday. “Getting streets clear and making them safer for everyone is a priority, so I am asking nonessential state employees to stay home tomorrow,” said Malloy. “I understand that everyone wants to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Crews are working around the clock to accomplish that goal. But the last thing we need at this point is a typical morning rush hour commute. Traffic build-up will only delay the effort to clear our roads." The governor announced earlier today that his request for a presidential emergency declaration in the wake of Friday’s historic winter storm has been approved. In addition, he is urging residents to continue staying off the roads today unless absolutely necessary. “This declaration will provide much needed assistance to the state and our towns and cities as we continue to recover from this historic winter storm,” said Malloy. “While the ban on travel has been lifted, we are continuing to urge residents to stay off the roads, if at all possible. This is particularly true for tractor trailers. Every time someone gets stuck, it is preventing plows from doing their jobs.” This emergency declaration provides for direct federal assistance, including possible snow removal equipment and personnel, power generation, and other commodities. The declaration also provides federal disaster funding for 75% of the cost of emergency protective measures incurred by municipalities, state agencies, and eligible non profits for a 48-hour period. Malloy also stressed the following: Due to road conditions and limited parking availability, residents should begin making plans to carpool to work Monday morning, particularly with state employees. Clean snow off the roofs of buildings, especially if they are flat tops. Also, make sure drainage areas are clear. With precipitation predicted for Monday, this is an especially important issue to address today. Truckers are urged to delay travel until the evening hours, if at all possible, so that crews can continue road clearance efforts. Calling 2-1-1 should be used to find locations of shelters and warming stations only. 2-1-1 does not have information on when streets will be plowed. Please do not call 2-1-1 for plowing information. Residents should please remember that our state and city public works personnel are working very hard to get our roads clear. This was a historic storm, and the recovery effort is going to take some time.

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