Sandy Update

November 5, 2012

Dear Neighbor,

Many of our towns are still without power. Our First Selectmen, police, fire and those unsung heroes the Department of Public Work (DPW) folks are working their hearts out!

Many have been working 24/7 since this hurricane hit.

Remember to thank our DPW for they have been life savers in clearing trees during this storm.

Those homes on well water and septic systems are particularly hard hit and in distress.

Transportation:

New Canaan branch line availability – the state Department of Transportation is on site today and reports that 50 trees are down on the line affecting catanary lines, electrical and signal systems. 

This extensive damage means the New Canaan branch line may NOT be available until the end of this week.

Weather:

A Nor’easter is forecast to bring several waves of rain, wind, and a rain/snow mix on Wednesday into Thursday.

While smaller amounts of snow are expected especially in the northwest hills, (1-2 inches, down from 2-4), wind gusts along the shoreline could reach 50-60 mph late Wednesday.

CL&P reports it is closely monitoring this potential weather event.
 
Town by Town update
 
CL&P is telling officials that substantial power restoration progress has been made over the weekend, but is not yet reflected in CL&P’s outage map, which is a manually adjusted outage estimate for each town.
 
As crew chiefs energize circuits the information is called in and the outage map is then adjusted manually. CL&P advises that restoration reports may be delayed and consequently, the true power outage level of the town is not reflected until later in the evening or early morning.

 
In closing, this series of storms has highlighted the desperate need to upgrade our antiquated power grid that is centuries old.  The power companies are responsible and should make this their absolute top priority.

Wilton:

  • Town officials were advised that Pine Ridge Road has substantial damage and will require several crews to make repairs to restore power, which CL&P indicated will be a goal on Monday.
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  • The Nod Hill Road area was also confirmed as a current priority due to the large number of residents on this road.

The Town of Wilton continues to operate under state of emergency conditions.
 
Residents are requested to check elderly or disabled neighbors to determine if any help is required for these citizens.
 
Please call 203-834-6260 to report residents who are in need of assistance.
 
Bottled water continues to be available at the Fire Station at the Wilton Town Hall.
 
Ridgefield:
 
From 1st Selectman Marconi:
 
We have seen significant progress over the weekend as a result of the 94 crews we now have in Town. However, we still have 12 % without power and 5 closed roads.
 

  • If you have a power interruption after your restoration, it usually means that another portion of your line is being turned on. If the outage lasts more than 20 minutes, call CL&P at 1-800-286-2000.
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  • If your neighbors have power and you do not, call CL&P
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  • The Town has no input into the priority of restoration. CL&P makes that determination.
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  • Our information shows us that most roads are now passable. If you have information
    suggesting otherwise please contact the call center.
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  • Call 1-800-288-2020 to report your AT&T telephone service interruption. For Comcast outages call 1-800-266-2278.
  •  

  • Schools are closed tomorrow, November 5, 2012. Decisions on further school closing will be made Monday afternoon.
  • Water, MREs and a limited number of 20×25-foot tarps for roof-damaged homes are available at Yanity Gym from 9 AM to 4 PM Monday, November 5. Enter from Governor Street.
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  • No decision has been made yet regarding Halloween. We will reassess once restoration is
    completed.
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  • Please do not pile your debris or brush on the roadside. The Transfer Station will take it at no charge from residents only between 7:30 AM – 5 PM through Saturday, November 10th.
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  • Due to the large number of crews in town, many roads may be temporarily closed. Please be patient and choose alternate routes of travel.
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  • Call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 for disaster assistance reimbursement information or go to www.disasterassistance.gov
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  • Open burning permits may be obtained from the Fire Department on Monday.
  • Drinking water filling stations are set up at the Ridgefield Playhouse, Parks & Rec and Fire Station 2 on Old Stagecoach Rd. Non-drinking water is available at Fire Station 2 only.
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  • Rail service on the Waterbury and Danbury branch of the New Haven line will resume Mon. Nov 5.
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  • For State of CT information regarding Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, go to www.ct.gov/sandy
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  • For information, call 203 431-2348, 431-2350 or 431-2351.
  •  

  • Continue to check on your neighbors and always dial 911 for emergencies.

Weston:
 
Both CL & P and UI are estimating 95 % restoration for their service areas by Monday.
 
Westport:
 
CL&P President Bill Quinlan said there a currently more than 3,000 line workers in the field and more 1,500 tree workers.
 
"We’re going to continue to add resources necessary to conclude this just as quickly as possible for our customers," Quinlan said.
 
He said CL&P forecasts that restoration of power will be "substantially complete" by Monday or Tuesday.
 
Quinlan said a rumor that restoration crews are leaving Connecticut to work in New York and New Jersey are untrue. He said the public may see crews passing through Connecticut to work in those states, but none of the crews designated to work here will be leaving until restoration is complete.
 
Redding:
 
Both CL & P and UI are estimating 95 % restoration for their service areas by Monday.
 
New Canaan:
 
The metro north New Canaan Branch line has suffered extensive damage and may not be up and running until the end of the week.
 
34 percent of (or 2,869) New Canaan customers are currently without power, according to CL&P.
 
Michael Handler of the New Canaan Office of Emergency Management:
 
As crews continue to reenergize circuits, if you do not regain power and your neighbors do please take the following action:  Report your single-service outage to CL&P at (800) 286-2000 immediately. 
 
CL&P has 65 line crews working in Town and we are again assured that we will have enough manpower to reach Bill Quinlan’s goal of Town-wide restoration by tomorrow night. 
Daytime warming and charging centers are available at the Library, Lapham Community Center, Waveny House and the Outback Center. 
 
Please continue to drive carefully as we have crews working on exposed roadways and continue to treat all downed wires as live and dangerous. 
 
Public school is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, November 7 and voting will take place tomorrow at regularly scheduled times and locations. 
 
The Emergency Operations Center will be here until power is restored Town-wide.  Please contact the EOC with any questions or concerns.  Thank you.

 
Bethel:
 
The following update is from First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker.
 
Power has been restored to over 99 percent of Bethel homes. Actual number is less than 60, many of which have more extensive damage to the service lines to their homes.

Yard waste and brush related to the storm can still be dropped off at the Bethel transfer station free of charge until further notice.
 
Leaf pickup schedule is resuming where it was left off one week behind the previously published dates from October 25th forward.  An adjusted schedule will be posted on the town website.