Wind gusts and damaged trees were the top concern for Derby as Hurricane Sandy approached the Nutmeg State.
The wind was just starting to pick up in the lower Valley at 12:15 p.m. Monday, giving a preview of what the next 24 hours may bring.
Derby Office of Emergency Management Director Charles Sampson said depending on how the storm unfolds, the city could open two emergency shelters — one at Derby Middle School and one at the Bradley School.
Derby Middle School would be the primary shelter.
Residents will be informed about shelter openings via reverse 911 and social media.
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Derby OEM is working out of a command center in the basement of Derby City Hall. You can reach Derby OEM by calling 203 736 1459.
Sampson urged people not to venture from their homes Monday afternoon, as wind gusts could be between 50 and 85 mph.
“Those are some of the strongest winds this Valley area has seen since the hurricane of 1938,” Sampson said.
It’s hugely important to stay away from all downed wires.
“People should stay in their houses. From 2 p.m. today until early tomorrow morning, no one should be out — period — unless it’s an absolute emergency,” Sampson said.
Sampson and Derby officials have been in touch with the residents of McConney’s Grove, a neighborhood off Route 34 that often receives Housatonic River flood water.
However, Sampson said flooding is not the concern with this storm, as forecasters have downgraded the amount of rain Hurricane Sandy will dump on the Naugatuck Valley.
Nevertheless, Derby closed its flood gates along the Housatonic River at 8 a.m., Sampson said, due to the storm surge Sandy is expected to bring to the Long Island Sound, into which the Housatonic feeds. The flood gates will remain closed for all of Monday and into Tuesday, Sampson said.
The decision to close the flood gates — which prevent downtown Derby from disappearing under water — was highlighted on Sunday, when officials noticed parts of O’Sullivan’s Island was already experiencing flooding. O’Sullivan’s Island is a meadow where the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers meet, just under the Route 8 bridge in Derby.
Sampson also urged residents to stay off the Derby Greenway along the Housatonic River in downtown Derby.
“It’s just not worth endangering your life just to go look at high water,” he said.
Mayor Anthony Staffieri said the city has been reaching out to its senior citizens to apprise them of the storm’s danger and to let them know Derby can help them if the need arises.
The Department of Public Works was out in force clearing storm drains. The city is ready for whatever Sandy might throw.
Staffieri said United Illuminated is in better shape to deal with this storm than in 2011, when Tropical Storm Irene and a freak October snowstorm left thousands without power in the Valley.
Derby fared much better in terms of power loss than its Derby neighbors last year.
See the video below for an interview with Staffieri:
