Obama Gets On Conference Call With Malloy, Municipal Officials

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s daily storm-recovery conference call with town officials from around Connecticut had a new voice on it Thursday — that of President Barack Obama, who in 20 or so minutes on the line, expressed appreciation and support for local and state governments’ recovery efforts.

“He said he wanted to speak directly to the mayors and first selectmen” of Connecticut’s 169 towns and cities, and “said he knows they’re on the front lines — “and is doing everything possible to marshal federal resources to help the people of Connecticut,” said Malloy’s senior adviser, Roy Occhiogrosso.

In the days since the approach of Hurricane Sandy — even before it made landfall in New Jersey and caused serious damage in this state — Malloy has held daily conference calls with officials of the 169 cities and towns.  On Thursday — a day when U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured coastal damage in a helicopter with Malloy and congressional representatives — Obama joined in on part of the the hour-long call.

“The President urged the mayors and first selectmen to remind people to call FEMA” — the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a subdivision of Napolitano’s cabinet-level agency — to register and apply for storm assistance, Occhiogrosso said, The FEMA toll-free number is 800-621-3362.