Norwalk emergency management urges heat safety, plans EOC technology refresh and an open house

Emergency Management Director Michelle DeLuca told the Norwalk Fire Commission July 15 that the city has activated public information outreach for ongoing heat waves and will continue heat‑safety messaging through the summer. DeLuca said the governor declared heat emergencies and the city’s website has been used to share heat‑safety information; she emphasized that pop‑up thunderstorms also remain a hazard and urged residents to follow National Weather Service updates. On preparedness infrastructure, DeLuca said she met with a potential vendor for an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) upgrade, a capital project approved for the coming year; the current EOC system is roughly 13 years old and she expects a refresh to extend useful life by another decade if budgeted within available funds. She also said she had begun discussions with Community Services on software options to collect needs assessments after disasters (unmet needs for food, transportation, housing) to streamline cross‑agency assistance. DeLuca announced an EOC open house scheduled for Sept. 27 and said more details will be shared as planning continues. Ending: City emergency management will continue public outreach on heat safety, finalize EOC vendor selection and pursue a needs‑assessment software pilot; the Sept. 27 open house is a planned public engagement date.