Tropical Storm Isaias: Camillo Declares Local State Of Emergency

GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Fred Camillo has declared a local emergency following Tropical Storm Isaias' path through Greenwich and the state Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement released around 6:30 p.m., Captain Kraig Gray said the first selectman has found that, as a result of the storm, a "condition of extreme peril to life and property" exists in town and has "declared a local civil preparedness emergency exists" in Greenwich as of Tuesday. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"We recommend that everyone limit their travel as the...Department of Public Works, Tree Department, Parks and Recreation Department and Public Safety Department coordinate with Eversource to clear our roadways of hazards," Gray said in an emailed statement.

As of 6:46 p.m., over 7,600 Eversource customers in Greenwich are without power, according to the company's outage map.

Around 5:30 p.m., police said on Twitter that crews were out working to "make the roads passable," as wires were still down throughout town.

"Please continue to stay off roadways so the cleanup crews can safely work on opening everything up," police said on Twitter.

Around 3 p.m, police said they recommend sheltering in place due to the amount of trees and live wires blocking and closing roads in town. The town's Emergency Operations Center is also being opened, police said.

Soon after, police said the town's tree department is "out in force" working to get the roads open. They also advised staying off the road to give them room to work.

Around 2:15 p.m., police said three lanes in the area of 500 West Putnam Avenue are closed due to "many trees down," and police are responding to the area.

Minutes later, police said there were "many reports of trees on cars," although no serious injuries had been reported.

"Please do not travel unless you absolutely have to," police said on Twitter. "The high winds are still bringing trees down. Multiple cars have been struck by falling limbs around town. Many of the tree are entangled with power lines; it's not worth risking your life."

Around 2 p.m., Greenwich police said most major roads north of Route 1 are "not passable" due to trees and wires down in the area.

"Stay home and away from down power lines," police said on Twitter.

Police also posted a message on their Facebook page around 1 p.m. urging residents to stay home.

"The winds have picked up," police said on Facebook. "Wires and trees have been reported down in several places throughout the town. Please stay home and limit your driving. Wires are down. Expect outages."

Around 1 p.m., Greenwich Dispatch said on Twitter there were "multiple trees and wires down in town" and asked residents to "stay off the roadways."

Around that same time, fire officials said on Twitter that crews had responded to North Street after receiving a report of a tree on a car with an occupant inside.

Officials sent another tweet soon after noting the extrication was complete, however another tree had fallen and blocked units in at the area.

See also: Tree Falls On Car With Person Inside: Greenwich Fire

While speaking with Patch earlier in the day, Lt. Mark Zuccerella said there will be extra officers working Tuesday afternoon and evening, who will be "ready to go in case something happens."

He also noted officers will not be driving around town Tuesday like they usually do, but rather will be strategically placed around town, ready to respond if needed.

"We have more than our normal people working tonight," Zuccerella said in an interview with Patch.

See also: Greenwich Prepares For Tropical Storm Isaias

According to Zuccerella, there will also be "a full house of dispatchers" working Tuesday to respond to calls from residents related to the storm, which is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall.

"In Greenwich, heavy rain means tree branches down and stuff like that," Zuccerella said.

Zuccerella said officers do not need special vehicles for the forecasted weather, as most of the department's cars are all-wheel drive and "are pretty good in all kinds of bad weather."

The lieutenant also said he will be working to get information out to residents as much as possible through social media. He urges anyone with a power outage to report it directly to Eversource through the company's outage map.

"[Residents] can be secure knowing that the Greenwich Police Department and other first responders will be out there for their safety needs."