Community Corner

Waterford Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

All the information you need to prepare for this storm, including the latest forecast, what you should do and what the town and other entities are doing.

It looks like Hurricane Sandy, which at the least should bring some heavy winds and heavy rains, is coming to town sometime Monday. Here is a comprehensive list of what Waterford is doing, what you should do and the forecast for the next few days:

The Forecast: The storm could bring winds up to 40 mph, and could last up to 36 hours, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy. Malloy said expect possibly 7 inches of rain from the storm.

Specifics: Accuweather.com reports that although rain is expected Sunday, the storm should really hit Southeastern Connecticut Monday. On Monday, expect winds between 30 and 41 mph and heavy rainfall, according to accuweather.com.

Find out what's happening in Waterfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tuesday should be rainy as well, with winds between 20 and 49 mph, and then the rain should turn into a drizzle Tuesday night, according to accuweather.com. Wednesday, there is a slight chance of rain during the day and a high chance of rain at night, with wind gusts between 11 and 20 mph, and then the storm should end, according to accuweather.com.

Accuweather is predicting a storm surge of up to 5 to 10 feet, with widespread power outages and property damage a strong possibility.

Find out what's happening in Waterfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Town’s Take: First Selectman Dan Steward said the town is doing some preparations for the storm, although said he won’t get a firm grasp on how bad it will be until probably Monday afternoon.

On Friday, he had public works make sand bags and had them clean out the storm drains along the roads. He also had all town departments fill up their vehicles with gasoline and their oil tanks with oil and all the town's generators are in place if needed.

Steward said he wanted as many employees available if needed, so few town employees will be taking vacation time next week. He said he has talked with Connecticut Light & Power and has been in communication with the state.

“We really won’t have a clear grasp on (Sandy) until Monday,” Steward said. “We are hoping it goes off to Bermuda and doesn’t hit us. But all we can really do now is prepare and wait.”

What You Should Do: State officials are encouraging people to clear their yard by Monday of possible projectiles, such as toys or tiki torches or anything that could easily be blown around.

They also encouraged people to have phone numbers for important contacts written down (with no power, cell phones could die), to have a gallon of water per person for everyone in the home for three days, to have cash (ATMs will not work if there is no power) and to have gasoline in their cars (gas stations will not work if there is no power as well).

Officials also encourage people to have batteries and a flashlight. Anecdotally, Patch heard that is very tough to buy a generator. Officials also strongly encourage people who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, especially if they are living alone, to go to emergency shelters if a storm is expected to hit.

Shelters: Steward said the decision to open a shelter or not has yet to be made. But, if emergency shelters are needed, they will be:

  • Primary: Regional Shelter, East Lyme Middle School, 31 Society Road, Niantic. Pets are welcome at the shelter.
  • Secondary: Waterford Community Center
  • Alternative: Five Fire Houses for short-term sheltering

Also, the Waterford Community Center and the Youth Services Bureau will be available for charging stations.

Places for Information: Follow the state’s emergency preparedness guide here. Also, people can follow Waterford’s Emergency Management Facebook page by click here.

Patch will be curating all this information, along with our own original reporting. Follow are site and click here to follow our Facebook page.

Millstone: Millstone spokesman Ken Holt said the power plant has begun preparations for a storm, including either taking in or tying down everything outside that could become a projectile.

Holt said Millstone has not yet made a decision on if it will power down its two reactors, like it did during Tropical Storm Irene. Holt said that determination will be made in the upcoming days as the storm draws closer.

Parks: The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that all state parks will be closed starting Monday. Additionally the DEEP is pulling all boat docks and portable toilets from state boat launches.


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