First Selectman Tim Herbst is encouraging members of town boards and commissions to volunteer at storm relief efforts to see the severity of the damage and the need for generators.
Herbst said the damage from Hurricane Sandy "is worse than Irene."
The Town Council approved a generator for Town Hall earlier this year, and a new alternative power supply is being researched to make Trumbull High School compliant as an official emergency shelter under state and federal code.
"You can't nickel and dime public safety," Herbst said.
"We've learned a lot from this," he added.
Police Commission member Albert Zamary, a member of the committee dealing with powering Trumbull High, said, "We're going to get that generator in the high school."
The source could be a natural gas fuel cell or a more powerful generator. Funding could come from government grants.
If THS had the required power supply, it "absolutely" would have opened for Hurricane Sandy, officials said.
Generators were powering Town Hall's servers Thursday, and people were still going there to pay there taxes despite the power outage.
Police Chief Tom Kiely said people go to Town Hall when they need non-emergency help, rather than the police.
"Town government must be able to function," Herbst said.
