A Full Update On Everything

Well, it's bad. But judging from other communities, it could be much worse.

In several other towns, the power is out for everybody in town and cellphone towers are out as well, leaving the entire town without even the ability to call 911, First Selectman Dan Steward said. But still, it could take some time for the 6,200 Waterford homes, or 65 percent of the town, to get power back.

“Everybody is frustrated with the lack of power restoration,” Steward said. “We are in tough shape, but the state is in really tough shape.”

Town crews should have the roads cleared of the major trees by this morning, Steward said Monday evening. Many trees could not be moved because they were on power lines, and the state forbid them from moving them until Connecticut Light & Power deactivated the power, he said.

Some people have been frustrated that CL&P did not go out until all the wind stopped Sunday, Steward said. While it delayed everything, it was part of a safe operation, he said.

Public Works (a.k.a. roads, garbage)

The Public Works department is clearing trees and picking up debris on the side of the road, Public Works Director Ron Cusano said. Monday’s garbage will be picked up today, as well as today’s normal run, Cusano said.

Cusano is encouraging people to pile brush and trees on the side of the road. Public Works crews will pick them up, and grind the mulch, he said.

Also, the transfer station will be open every day this week, Cusano said.

Just one road was destroyed from the storm, part of Jordan Cove Road, Cusano said. It could be a big job though because a seawall was destroyed, which will probably take an engineer to design, Cusano said.

Replacing a seawall requires permits from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which can take a long time, Cusano said. DEEP will work with the town to quicken up that process, he said.

Schools

Superintendent Jerome Belair again pushed back the first day of school, this time from Wednesday to Thursday. A professional development day is set for the day before school, and Belair does not want to cancel it, he said.

“This plan is only good if the situation improves,” Belair said in an announcement. “Otherwise, we will continue to delay the first day of school.”

Belair said there will be a “day-by-day” approach to the school year, he said.

Good news is despite the heavy wind, the is in good shape, Belair said.

Utility Commission (aka water)

Power is out to all 27 pump stations in town, Utility Commission Chief Engineer Neftali Soto said. They are all running off of generators, he said.

Also, workers are pumping out grinder pumps to the 240 customers who have town-maintained grinder pumps, Soto said.

Red Cross

There are nearby shelters for residents who need a shower, a meal and electricity, Red Cross Senior Director Sue Rochester-Bolen said. There is an overnight shelter at East Lyme Senior Center, and a “shower center” at Groton Senior Center that is open from 5 to 9 p.m., she said.

The Red Cross is looking for donations, particularly of meals from restaurants, she said.

Millstone

Millstone Power Station operated at 50 percent power throughout the entire storm, plant spokesman Ken Holt said. The plant was dropped down before the storm started, so if it did have to be shut down completely it wouldn’t have such a strong affect on the grid, Holt said.

The power station should be back to full power soon (possibly by the time you are reading this), Holt said.

Power was lost to the decommissioned Unit 1 and the Millstone office buildings, although it was restored by midnight Monday, Holt said. There was some issues cooling the spent fuel at Unit 1, although that has been fixed, he said.

Business

Many of the town's restaurants were packed Monday, not surprising because few people can cook without power. The line for the Boston Post Road Dunkin' Donuts drive-through on Monday morning extended onto Boston Post Road.

Lowe's and Home Depot both said they didn’t have generators or gas tanks Monday evening. Neither store was sure when they would get either, although they weren't optimistic it would be soon.