Connecticut officials simulate hurricane for emergency drill

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut authorities and utilities are participating in a two-day drill designed to prepare them to deal with emergencies.

The exercise, coordinated by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection's Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, will simulate a Category 1 hurricane hitting the state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting eight-to-13 named storms this hurricane season.

The drill will be held on Saturday and on Monday. It is part of Gov. Dannel Malloy's Emergency Preparedness and Planning Initiative, which began in 2011, staring with the first such exercise in 2012.

Malloy said storms and other emergencies are inevitable, but the more everyone works together to limit the impact, "the better prepared we will be to identify and get aid to those most in need."