In a press release, Friday Gov. M. Jodi Rell blamed Hartford’s 12 largest employers for not coordinating their employee dismissals with the state during a snow storm that dumped up to three inches per hour on the Capitol City.
Rell said her staff contacted area employers early Thursday morning to discuss how to coordinate dismissals, however, businesses, who employ 85,000 people, had not yet made a decision about when they would be letting their employees go home. She said the state staggered the release of its 35,000 employees.
In the future Rell wants Hartford area employers to coordinate the release of employees with the state when inclement weather is expected. “These coordinating calls will also help us minimize the disruption to highway preparation and clean-up,” Rell said in a press release.
Interstate 84 and Interstate 91 were shut down Thursday when a number of tractor trailers got stuck in the snow on the highways. The 1,452 state employees plowing the roads were unable to clear the snow because of the heavy traffic.
State Police responded to 1,641 calls from stranded or injured drivers.
