Greenwich Girds for Hurricane Joaquin

As Hurricane Joaquin continues to gather strength as it churns north off the coast of the Bahamas, Greenwich officials already are in the planning mode.

On Wednesday, First Selectman Peter Tesei met with town department managers, the American Red Cross, and Emergency Management Director Dan Warzoha to discuss storm preparations.

“Based upon preliminary reports, we anticipate that “Joaquin” has the potential for moderate to significant impact to Greenwich,” Tesei said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.

“Town personnel are monitoring the storm, securing all town facilities, reviewing their response plans and contingency plans, and organizing their human and physical resources to be ready for what may impact our town,” Tesei said. He added, “The town has consistently followed a priority list that addresses life safety issues as the most important area of concern. Other priorities include road closures, safe routing for traffic and pedestrians, and debris removal.”

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Accuweather advised Wednesday evening that the storm track remains unpredictable but that residents should expect some fallout from the storm, including high tides, flooding, heavy winds and rain.

Town officials are advising residents to monitor weather through media outlets including Greenwich Patch.

The Greenwich Health Department has issued these guidelines for residents to prepare for the storm:

Part of being prepared is deciding on whether you should ride out the storm. In some cases, it would be safer to relocate,” Greenwich Health Director Caroline Calderone Baisley said.

The latest Greenwich weather forecast can be found here.

The health department is advising residents to make an Emergency Supply Kit and to keep emergency contact phone numbers handy.

Emergency Supplies (Not All Inclusive)

• Flashlights and battery-powered radios
• First Aid Items: bandages, blankets, First Aid handbook and all special medicines
• A supply of non-perishable goods that require no cooking or refrigeration and a can opener
• A minimum of one-gallon of water per person a day
• Materials such as wire, rope, chlorine disinfectant, fire extinguishers, extra blankets, lumber and sandbags.

• TO REPORT ONLY EMERGENCIES – For all Police, Fire and EMS emergencies, dial 911.
• GREENWICH EMERGENCY INFORMATION: (866) 245-4260
  (This number is in service ONLY during major emergencies)

Emergency Helplines – Utilities:

• Aquarion Water Company 1-800-732-9678
• Eversource 1-800-286-2000
• CT Natural Gas Company (203) 869-6900

Local Non-Emergency Phone Numbers:

• Town of Greenwich – www.greenwichct.org (203) 622-7700
• Greenwich Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health (203)-987-1001/622-7838
• Greenwich Fire Department non-emergency (203)-622-3950
• Greenwich Police Department non-emergency (203)-622-8000
• Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Service
• – American Medical Response (AMR) 1-800-379-7700/(203)-332-4080
• Department of Parks and Recreation Tree Division (203)-622-7824
• Greenwich Chapter, American Red Cross (203)-869-8444
• Greenwich Department of Social Services (203) 622-3800
• Connecticut Poison Control 1-800-222-1222

Photo credit: AccuWeather.com.