Shelton residents can pick up water and food at the Shelton Community Center until 7 tonight (Aug. 30), and again Wednesday morning.
The city received the supplies from the state Department of Emergency Management and FEMA Tuesday afternoon.
A limited supply of ice was also available Tuesday, and more ice is scheduled to be delivered Wednesday.
The crews had two large trailers filled with water bottles and boxes of meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), self-heating food packets.
The options ranged from spaghetti and meatballs to pesto chicken and noodles, and the packets included crackers and a cookie.
Dozens of people had stopped by to stock up on supplies by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Ice was in high demand.
Vivian Manzione picked up a bag of ice, and meals to bring back to her neighbors in Aspetuck Village. They lost power on Sunday night.
“It’s very difficult,” Manzione said. “Many people there are living on oxygen.”
She has been driving around looking for more batteries and ice, but all the stores she stopped at were sold out.
Another woman, who declined to give her name, picked up enough food for her three sons and husband, along with some water bottles.
“This will be a blessing for me,” she said.
Shelton residents should bring identification with them.
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Door to Door
As of 4 p.m., 6,600 people in Shelton had no power. That’s about 38 percent of the United Illuminating customers in Shelton. That’s a decrease from Monday, when 50 percent of the city was powerless.
Because so many people still had no power Tuesday, Echo Hose ambulance crews went door to door in several neighborhoods to notify them of the food and water rations.
Laucella said they also asked residents if they had any needs because of the power failure.
He handed out some extra batteries and ice.
They have focused on Aspetuck Village, where Echo Hose Ambulance has received several calls from elderly people with concerns about the lack of power.
“We have a lot of people calling in and asking questions,” Laucella said.
He said the ambulance crews have also responded to several calls from people on oxygen who were getting low on supplies.
Echo Hose has some extra oxygen tanks, but Laucella advised residents who need oxygen to call their suppliers first to request an emergency delivery.
“Most people I’m talking to now are starting to throw out their food,” Laucella said. “They’re running out of batteries.”
Showers, Electricity
The Community Center is also open to residents who need to take showers, or charge electronic devices.
The center opens at 7 a.m., and people can use the showers until 9 p.m.
It is located at 41 Church St.
