State And CL&P Making Plans For Hurricane Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy expected to make landfall on the East Coast in a few days town, state and utility officials are gearing up their emergency response plans.

Forecasters currently aren’t sure if Sandy will hit in the mid-Atlantic states or New England.

Mystic, Stonington and Pawcatuck

Stonington emergency officals held emergency management meeting Thursday morning.

“We’re taking it very seriously,” Edward Haberek Jr said. “We’re monitoring it and tomorrow we’ll plan emergency operations through the weekend.”

Haberek said a reverse 911 call will go out to residents with a list of preparation materials and the town is ready to use Stonington High School as an emergency shelter if the need arises. The First Selectman will continue to post updates on his Facebook page, Twitter (#FirstSelectman), Stonington Patch and his personal blog (http://ehaberek.wordpress.com/.

As of Thursday afternoon no decisions have been made on whether to postpone the 54-hour closure of the Mystic drawbridge. The closure is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2012 until 1 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2012.

Here is the forecast for Stonington as of 5:30 p.m.. from the National Weather Service:

• Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. East wind three to seven mph.
• Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming south five to seven mph in the afternoon.
• Friday Night Patchy fog after 4 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 47. Calm wind.
• Saturday Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 65. Light northeast wind becoming east five to 10 mph in the morning.
• Saturday Night A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northeast wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
• Sunday A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
• Sunday Night Rain likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
• Monday Rain likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a high near 60. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
• Monday Night Rain likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a low around 50. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.
• Tuesday Rain likely. The rain could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
• Tuesday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
• Wednesday A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

CL&P

CL&P, which took a public drumming last year after two major storms cut power to hundreds of thousands of state residents for days, the utility is already preparing, and urging its customers to prepare, for the possibility of widespread power outages.

The utility has sent a request to utility companies and contractors in the Midwest for help and is seeking 2,000 workers to come to Connecticut by Sunday night, said Mitch Gross, CL&P’s spokesman.

He said the utility is doing everything it can to prepare, but “there’s no way to prevent widespread outages from a storm like this.”

CL&P, which provides power to more than a million residences and businesses, is warning its residential customers to prepare a home emergency kit and has begun reaching out to local officials to update them on how the company will respond if there are widespread power outages.

The utility, Gross said, learned valuable lessons after Hurricane Irene last August and the October Nor’easter. Each storm cut power to more than 700,000 customers, some for more than a week.  In the months that followed the company beefed up its liaison program with towns, as well as tree cutting and tree trimming near utility lines.

“This past year has been all about improving our storm response,” Gross said. 

"We’re closely monitoring weather forecasts and preparing for high winds and heavy rain that can devastate the electric system and cause power outages,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P’s senior vice president of emergency preparedness. “…We stand ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible. While we hope for the best, we all need to prepare for the worst.”

State

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office also issued a press release Thursday urging state residents to be aware of the storm’s progress and to be prepared if it hits the state.

“Just as the state is monitoring and preparing, the public should do the same,” Malloy said. “Some models predict that Sandy may move onshore somewhere in New England early next week. Although we are not certain the storm will impact the state, we need to be prepared. That means everyone, especially the state’s utility companies.”

The state’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is monitoring the storm and is prepared to coordinate any needed state response, officials said. DEMHS is also participating in National Weather Service conference calls to get the latest information on the storm’s track and is sending out regular updates to all municipalities and tribal nations, state officials said.

DEMHS is communicating with CL&P and UI.

“Although hurricanes are unpredictable, this storm has the potential to impact Connecticut and we need to be prepared,” said DEMHS Deputy Commissioner William P. Shea. “Because a shift in the track of the hurricane of just a few miles can have a significant impact on the state, it is important to stay informed by listening to TV and radio and heed the warnings of public safety officials.”

CL&P and the governor’s office offered the following for preparing a home power outage kit:

Flashlights with spare batteries

• A battery-operated radio or TV
• First-aid kit and medications
• Canned, freeze-dried or dehydrated foods
• A manual can opener
• Bottled water
• Baby or pet supplies (if needed)
• Important phone numbers