Weekend Storms Cause Damage, Close Roads In Westport: FD

WESTPORT, CT — A second day of strong thunderstorms Sunday brought down another tree on a Westport home, and had local firefighters responding to dozens of service calls, according to Westport Deputy Fire Chief Michael Kronick.

Sunday's storm knocked down a tree onto a home on Colony Road, while Saturday's storm knocked down a tree onto a home on Vani Court. Both storms produced heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning.

As of 9:20 a.m. on Monday, 543 Eversource utility customers in Westport were still without power.

"At this time, the fire department has responded to 80+ calls for service," Kronick stated Monday, adding that one person suffered a storm-related minor injury in Westport. "These calls ranged from power lines burning, trees resting on power lines, carbon monoxide calls, and trees that had fallen on buildings and across roadways. Many roads remain impassable at this time. Please use caution while driving and do NOT drive over or under low hanging lines or pass barrier tape. Treat all down lines as live and dangerous."

The storm caused one fatality in Fairfield when 54-year-old David L. Schmerzler was killed when a tree limb fell onto his vehicle while he was driving on Sturges Highway, according to Fairfield police. Additionally, six other people were injured in Fairfield on Sunday when a deck collapsed at a home on Rhode Island Avenue.

Westport police issued the following statement Monday morning on storm-related road closures throughout town:

Due to severe afternoon storms on June 30, the Town suffered several road closures and downed
power lines. As a result of power outages the traffic control signals are still not functional at the
Sherwood Island Connector.

We continue to urge residents to stay home as the clean-up and repairs are conducted. If you
must be on the road, please drive with caution and do not attempt to go around police tape and/or
barricades.

All Town agencies are diligently working to alleviate these conditions in partnership with
Eversource. At this time over 35 roads have been re-opened, and work will continue through the
overnight hours.

Please be considerate of these conditions during your morning commute and allow for
extra time as damage throughout the Town has been extensive.

There are road closures at the following locations:

Long Lots Lane
1 Long Lots Road
30 Long Lots Road
Long Lots Road @ Morningside Dr North
30 Morningside Drive South

Spicer Court @ Spicer Road
6 Clapboard Hill Road
235 Greens Farms Road
245 Greens Farms Road
23 Hillandale Road

Updates can also be found on the WPD Instagram https://www.instagram.com/westportctpd and
Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/westportctpolice as roads re-open.

We would also like to remind everyone to treat every downed wire as if it were live, even if
it does not appear to be energized. Power outage reports, general outage questions, or non-
emergency issues associated with electrical repairs should be directed to Eversource Energy at
(800) 286-2000.