Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced at a noon briefing that the state’s highways have not yet been closed — but that they could be at any second.
“If you’re not already on the road to get home, you should be,” Malloy said.
“We will continue to coordinate our activities with New York state and Massachusetts,” the governor said. “If you don’t currently have a reason to be on the road … stay home. This is it. Things are starting to accumulate.”
Malloy called in the state’s national guard, which has formed teams throughout Connecticut to assist stranded motorists and in other emergencies, but he said that it’s important to keep the highways from being clogged with abandoned cars.
“If we can avoid that, we’ll be back to normal operations relatively quickly,” Malloy said during the briefing.
“Do yourself and the state a favor and stay off the highways,” he said. “There’s really no reason at this point to be out there. To the extent that you can, please stay indoors.”
Asked by a reporter at the briefing what people should do if at work now and worried about getting stuck at work later, Malloy said: “They should listen to what we’re saying. They should go home now.”
Malloy said the state’s full fleet of snowplows are on the roads and will continue to be, and said he urged municipal leaders to try to keep roads clear during the storm.
In addition, the governor asked residents who live near elderly people to check in on them to make sure they’re all right.
Malloy said he would meet with state officials again at 5 p.m. and will speak with local officials at 5:30 p.m., after which he will have another press briefing at 6 p.m.
