Here’s what’s happening in your community as we all brace for Hurricane Irene.
Emergency management meetings have been taking place all over the Valley, with more scheduled today (Saturday, Aug. 27).
Seymour
Seymour will open the Seymour Middle School (211 Mountain Road) as an emergency shelter if there is a need for it, based on calls from people who are out of power and need shelter, said First Selectman Paul Roy.
An announcement went out Friday night advising residents of that info.
FYI, for the Seymour shelter — if activated, residents must bring their own sleeping bags and blankets because cots are in short supply, Roy said.
Shelter has also been arranged for pets. An athletic building at Seymour High School (2 Botsford Road) will be set up with kennels if needed, Roy said, to accommodate people’s pets when they go to the shelter.
Seymour plans includes having extra police, fire and EMS personnel on duty beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. to cover the tropical weather’s expected arrival time, Roy said.
The extra personnel will be prepared to be on duty through Monday morning if needed, he said.
Police, fire and town vehicles will also be used to provide transportation to the shelters for residents who are put out of their homes by the hurricane. This service will be provided so long as there is no danger to life in travel.
For help during the hurricane Roy said residents should call the non-emergency number at the police station, 203 – 881-7600.
Sandbags were being made available for the public Friday. However, Seymour residents on the Valley Indy’s Facebook page reported that the town was out of sandbags Friday night.
More sandbags were available as of 9 a.m. Saturday, according to an e‑mail from Roy.
UPDATE: As of 10 a.m., Roy said Seymour was out of sandbags.
Seymour residents should listen to recorded messages arriving from the town. Check the Seymour website as well.
If you’re not signed up for Code Red, you can do so here.
A full statement from Seymour, including shelter info, follows. Click on the hyperlink to make it full screen. You can print it out as well. (article continues after the document):
Derby
UPDATE, 4:24 p.m. — Mayor Staffieri declared a city-wide emergency. Residents in McConney’s Grove, a community on the Housatonic River, have been ordered to leave. Residents who need shelter should call the Derby Police Department at 203 735 7811.
The following video was posted by Mayor Anthony Staffieri Saturday morning.
Staffieri led an emergency management meeting in his office Friday morning.
He then announced that McConney’s Grove residents are being asked to leave the neighborhood due to expected flooding. McConney’s Grove is a low-lying community on the shores of the Housatonic River.
PHOTO: The NVL Blog The gas line at BJ's on Division Street in Derby at about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
“First and foremost, we ask the residents of McConney’s Grove to make arrangements to evacuate themselves now on a voluntary basis,” Sampson said. “A decision may be reached tomorrow where we tell them it is a mandatory evacuation. Flooding is coming. There are two ways about it. So they should be prepared for that.”
Also in Derby, the plan is to open temporary shelters at Derby Middle School (10 Nutmeg Ave) for westside residents — and the Bradley School (155 David Humphreys Road) for eastside residents. Those shelters could be open as earlier as Saturday afternoon. More information should be coming.
Those are not full-service shelters. Derby will try to house people there temporarily until they can be brought to a state-run shelter.
State-run shelters are ‘pet friendly,’ Sampson said. You must have a crate for your animal and have a small amount of food for the pets.
However, emergency officials stress that the safest place for residents is their homes. People are being urged to shelter in place, Derby officials said.
Residents should not travel from about 11 p.m. Saturday straight through Sunday.
“We anticipate that during the height of the storm, when conditions are not favorable, there will be little to none public safety available at times due to the potential danger,” Sampson said. “People should anticipate this. Everyone should have at least three-days of supplies and food and water they can survive on without power.”
Derby residents should expect Route 34 in front of St. Michael’s Church to be flooded and closed.
Route 34 will also probably be flooded on the Seymour town line.
“Based on the conference call we had today, we’re in for heavier rain and stronger winds,” Sampson said.
Sampson and Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski urged residents to use 911 in emergency. Do not call 911 for routine matters or to ask questions.
Dial the state’s 211 line for general information.
Derby Fire Chief William Nicoletti urged motorists not to try to drive through flooded roadways. It happens during every large storm — and could be extremely dangerous if repeated during Hurricane Irene.
As a precaution, Lake Zoar is scheduled to be lowered above the Stevenson Dam. In addition, repairs have been made to malfunctioning equipment at the Derby dam, officials said.
Finally, Derby School Superintendent Stephen Tracy sent a message to parents Friday saying it remains to be seen as to whether schools will open Tuesday for the first day of school. He urged parents to listen to radio, television and local news sources for information.
Here is the notice from Derby (article continues after the document):
Shelton
Shelton residents, especially in the city’s more rural areas, should expect power to go out — and the power could be down for some time from the storm, officials said.
Shelton High School, 120 Meadow Street, has been designated as the city’s emergency shelter, if one is necessary.
As of 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Shelton Emergency Management Director John Millo said the shelter was not open yet.
If it is opened, water and food will be available. There will be limited cots & blankets, so residents should bring their own bedding.
Pets are allowed as long as they are crated.
BIRCHBANK & THE MAPLES
The Maples is under a mandatory evacuation. Residents of the Maples are asked to be out of their homes by 6 p.m. Saturday.
There is a self evacuation of Birchbank as a precaution.
Lake Zoar & Lake Lillinonah have been lowered.
If you have experienced flooding before, this Hurricane comes with a lot of rain, you will probably experience flooding again.
The non-emergency phone number for the Shelton Police Department is 203 – 924-1544
For further information, please go to the Office of Emergency Management Website: www.sheltonemergency.com
Oxford
In the event it is needed as emergency shelter during the hurricane, Oxford plans to bring Oxford High School at 61 Quaker Farms Road into service as the primary shelter.
Quaker Farms School at 30 Great Oak Road would also be a shelter, said Administrative Assistant Joseph Calabrese.
None will be activated unless there is a need.
Oxford will use its Code Red alert system today at 6 p.m. to notify residents of the dangers of flooding expected, and then again either Saturday afternoon or Saturday night, when more weather data is available, Calabrese said.
Oxford does not have facilities to house pets, but would take pets on a case-by-case basis if someone needs to leave their home.
The number to call for all help in Oxford is the non-emergency police number, 203 – 888-4353.
Ansonia
The city is posting weather-related updates on its website.
If an emergency shelter is needed, it will be opened at Ansonia High School, 20 Pulaski Highway. You’ll need to bring blankets, pillows and emergency supplies.
Domestic pets are not allowed, other than service animals.
If the high school shelter is opened, a pet shelter will be opened at the Mead School, 75 Ford St. You’ll need to bring food and a kennel.
Here is the notice from Ansonia:
Info from the state on mass transit:
SUSPENSIONS:
1. CTTRANSIT bus and paratransit operations will be suspended in the Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Bristol, New Britain, Meriden, Waterbury and Wallingford Divisions beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 27 through Sunday, August 28.
2. MetroNorth will suspend service at noon on Saturday, August 27.
3. Shoreline East will suspend service at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 27.
Here is information from an emergency management conference call with the state and municipal officials all over the state:
If you live in a place that has been flooded in the past — expect to be inundated this weekend.
Those were the words of Gov. Dan Malloy during an 11:15 a.m. conference call with town officials and emergency responders throughout the state.
This Is Not Good
Malloy said the state hasn’t seen something like Hurricane Irene since 1938 — and that citizens should plan and prepare accordingly.
The governor said citizens should prepare to be without power for an extended period of time — and that dealing with Irene’s aftermath could be “a matter of days or weeks,” not hours.
Tropical storm winds are expected to enter Connecticut at roughly 11 p.m. Saturday. Irene will follow, with the height of the hurricane battering the state between 5 a.m. and 12 p.m. Sunday, according to state officials.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall over Norwalk at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Widespread flooding is expected — and the Housatonic River basin was specifically mentioned during the governor’s conference call as an area of concern.
Hurricane force winds of up to 90 mph are expected to batter the entire state — not just the coast.
Predicted rainfall — 7 to 9 inches, with parts of the state, such as the northwest corner, receiving 10 to 14 inches. Rain could fall anywhere from 1 to 3 inches an hour.
Malloy said he’s expecting to shut down the Merritt Parkway during the storm.
