UPDATE: Oxford Commercial Strip Shut Down

UPDATE: Oxford Pharmacy is opened and has had power since Monday.  

Up and down Oxford's commercial corridor on Route 67 signs posted to several doors say the same thing: Sorry, no power. 

All but a few businesses, literally, along Route 67, or Oxford Road, were without power as of Tuesday, according to an unofficial survey by me, Oxford Patch editor Paul Singley. I drove up and down the street and stopped at all restaurants and retail businesses along the strip to see if they were open. The only retail businesses we could confirm were open were , and Little River Power Equipment. Oxford Pharmacy was also open and people were coming from as far as Cheshire to get prescriptions filled. 

All of the others appeared to be closed, and most of them were confirmed to be closed. I was not able to confirm whether was closed, although it did not appear so, especially since the sign on the restaurant cleverly proclaimed: "(Tropical Storm) Irene is Back!"

Both gas stations, the Mobil and the Global gas station, were closed, and so were the places where many people fuel themselves - with coffee, that is - Snack Bar and the in Great Hill Plaza. The Great Hill Plaza, the Little River Plaza and the Tommy K's Plaza, which have the highest concentrations of businesses, were without power. 

Some business owners were trying to salvage as much of their goods as possible, including the owner of the , who was using a generator to power freezes and refrigerators that store food.

This is the second time in two months that businesses in Oxford have been hit hard: most of them along Route 67, which holds about 99 percent of Oxford's retail businesses,

Health Inspectors Offer Food Safety Tips and Restaurant Regulations

The Pomperaug Health District posted signs about food safety on businesses in the towns that it covers, including Oxford. The signs said, among other things:

• If you do not have power, you cannot open for business or prepare food;
• Any potentially hazardous food that is above 45 degrees for more than two hours must be discarded;
• The health district will be doing inspections in the next couple days to check for compliance;
• Once power has been restored, you may re-open without an inspection provided you have followed (health department) guidelines;
• Consider operating with a limited menu for the first day or two after power is restored;
• Document any food discarded for insurance purposes.

Editor's Note: Please tell us if we've missed a business that is open or if a business re-opens. The purpose of this is to help both the residents of Oxford and the business owners.