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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, Local, local, local.
September 10, 2021
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Back Countr y | Banksv ille | Belle Haven | By ram| Chickahominy | Cos Cob | Glenv ille | Old Greenw ich | Pember w ick | R iverside | Bedford, N Y
Your Briefing: Local News You Need to Know 9/11 Events Throughout Town Glenville Volunteer Fire Co. Ceremony The Glenville Volunteer Fire Company is holding its annual ceremony to honor those lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 10, at the Glenville Firehouse, beside the 9/11 memorial. First Congregational Church 9/11 Service The First Congregational Church of Greenwich on Sound Beach Avenue will host an outdoor 9/11 prayer service memorial on Saturday, September 11 at 10 a.m. The service will be 30 minutes and will include prayer, music, a moment of silence, and words from Rev. Collins. A special dedication of a f lowering tree will be made to honor the memory of Greenwich residents who lost their lives that day. Cos Cob Memorial Ceremony Greenwich will host a remembrance ceremony at the September 11 Memorial in Cos Cob on Saturday, September 11 at 8:46 a.m. The service will begin promptly with a cannon and bell ringing, denoting the time that the North Tower was hit, with five tones following until 10:28 a.m. Following the service, there will be a procession where flowers will be available to lay at the base of the memorial, with a prayer, laying of wreaths, presentation of colors, and 21-gun salute following. All are invited to pay their respects. Fa m ily mem bers in attenda nce w ill be supported by Town and State elected officials, military members, the American Red Cross, local and regional first responders, and the community at large as those fallen are remembered and honored. Christ Church Community Worship Christ Church will be holding a 9/11 20th Please turn to page 10
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Ida came through late Wednesday evening dumping 8 inches of rain in just a few hours. Pemberwick, mid-country, parts of Cos Cob and other localized areas all over town were devastated. According to some residents, water rose and engulfed basements and first floor apartments like the one shown above in the Pemberwick area of Greenwich in just 20 minutes. It was just enough time for a mother and her two children (1 and 5 years old) to grab some clothes and get out safely before everything they owned was englufed. "We take turns stepping away from the kids," she said, "so they don't see us crying." Photo by Albert Huang. Inset: During the storm, the Greenwich Fire Department (GFD) received over 250 calls. GFD members worked tirelessly throughout the night and all the next day performing approximately eight water rescues. "The actions of our department that night was extraordinary under such difficult conditions," said GFD Chief Joseph McHugh. "Damage throughout the town was extensive and responding was a challenge for us with roads being impassable due to flooding conditions and trees being down." At one point 911 was overwhelmed with calls. Please see page 11 for the full story.
Christmas Trees
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GTP: Page 4 Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
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Areas of Town Still Reeling from Destruction
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT A Christmas tree is glittery and beautiful, and unaware that it has been cut off just above t h e r o o t s . S i m i l a r l y, we humans enjoy decorating ourselves with clothing, social status, accomplishments, and possessions. It is good to enjoy these things. Just remember that they are decorations. They are not our real substance. Fr iendship, fam ily, faith, and service to others—these are substance, not d e c o r at i o n . T h e y a r e the roots that help us f lourish. They provide meaning, connection, and purpose. Fashions and fame, like decorated Christmas trees, are only with us for a season. People of
substance, like healthy t r e e s , g r ow for ma ny years and give shelter and shade to others. Alyssa refers to friends who remind her of Christmas trees as “shiny people.” These are people she can’t get close to because they are intent on impressing her with th ei r be au t i- f u l live s . She decided for herself to focus on being a blessing to her friends instead of impressing them. As she did so, the roots of her confidence and well-being grew deeper. Greenwich resident , Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203869-1515) or info@ dianesbooks.com) or at Amazon.
CONTENTS
Acts of Kindness, Page 2 Greenwich Town Party, Page 4 From Anne W. Semmes, Page 5 Editorial: 20 Years On, Page 8 Column from Mairead Finn: Page 9 News Briefs continued on Page 10 Flooding, Page 11, 17 Obituaries, Pages 13 Worship Column & Worship Calendar, Page 12, 13 Community Calendar, Pages 6 & 7 Puzzle Pages 15, 16 Astrology, Page 15 Sports, Page 14 Education Column, Calvin & Hobbes, Page 20 Real Estate, Pages 17, 18, 21
Zac Brown. Photo by John and Bailey Robben. See more photos online at GreenwichSentinel.com
Unfazed by the rain and mud. Photo by John and Bailey Robben
How to Prepare for Help for Henri or Ida Damage
UPDATE: Residents can now go to the town website and complete damage assessment form: https://www.greenwichct.gov/ida The Town of Greenwich is working with the CT Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) on an Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) for both Tropical Storm Henri and the remnants of Hurricane IDA. In order to determine if the damages from these events meet the criteria for federal disaster assistance programs, municipalities must report all damages including residential and business damages. In other words: in order to receive help from federal government assistance programs, the Town of Greenwich needs everyone to do the following: If your home or business sustained damage from either Henri or Ida or both please take the following steps: • Document damages for each storm event seperately. Write down as many dates and details as you can remember including specifically what was damaged. • Contact your insurance company to determine if the damages are covered by your policy. • Take photos of all damaged property and items. • Keep all receipts for repairs/costs. • Report details on the damages, provide photos, insurance information and your contact information to the Town of Greenwich. Gather together all of your information and documents so that once it is ready, you can upload your information. This way as much information as possible will be included in the initial damage assessment the town submits to DEMHS making assistance more likely. Once all of the damage data is received, DEMHS will assess whether the damages approach the federal criteria for disaster assistance programs. If a resident has given info to the Red Cross, they still need to provide it to the town as well. All residents who experienced damage are encouraged to document and share it with the Town of Greenwich even if they will not seek assistance so that the town and DEMHA have an accurate assessment of the total damage. Thank you to Brenda Bergeron from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for her help pulling this together.