Updated: Evacuees Checking in All Over Town

Night fell Saturday and with it, a serious band of rain - the leading edge of Hurricane Irene - moved into the region.

There were few cars out in Montville and few people, Saturday night. Folks were going to the shelter, and some were doing some last minute shopping.

Giant X's of tape covered the windows of Tri-Town Foods.

At the liquor store next door, owner Stan Bousch said he'd been very, very busy for the past three days.

And what are people buying?

Beer.

At the Microtel on Route 32, there are more empty rooms than usual, said Samantha Smith, front desk agent. Many folks from away had canceled their reservations; who wants to come stay in a hurricane?

But the hotel was hosting a number of people who had evacuated from seacoast towns and homes they didn't think would weather the storm. The hotel is giving them discounts, Smith said.

As the first raindrops began falling, and the hurricane shifted somewhat to the west, Fire Marshal Ray Occhialini raised his assessment of the number of people who might use the shelter at Montville High School.

In past incidents, 20 or so people have used the shelter. During Hurricane Irene, Occhialini said, he expects that 100 or more might use it.

"I think we're going to be full," he said.

The American Red Cross, delivering food to shelters through the region, estimated that 180 people would use the shelter at Montville High School. Click here to read that story.

Fire Inspector Ed Shafer checked in at the shelter early, Occhialini said, and found 11 people already waiting. 

Rand-Whitney and RockTenn will have only skeleton crews on during the storm, said Occhialini.

Fire personnel responded this afternoon to Jerome Road at Maple Avenue, for a report of "glowing" electrical wires. Connecticut Light & Power was contacted.

Members of the Oakdale Fire Company were called to the station today at 2 p.m. for a safety briefing regarding Hurricane Irene.

Firefighters were told to assume all wires are live, drivers were told to watch for low-hanging wires and tree branches.

Also, all ambulance calls will have a crew of firefighters and a town snow plow truck go in front of the ambulance to clear the roads. "Our main goal," said Chief Gary M. Murphy, "is to keep Old Colchester Road and Route 82 clear so the ambulance can make it to the hospital in Norwich, and all firefighters make it home safe."

The dam on Rockland Pond, owned by Rand-Whitney, "is in good shape," Occhialini said this afternoon. Oxoboxo Lake is also at a good level, emergency personnel reported on Friday.

At the Mohegan Firehouse on Friday, Mike Morin, Jim Sajkowicz and Steve Jones were getting ready for the storm.

“We’re making sure everything’s filled up, the saws are ready to go,” Morin said, adding that this is work they do already do regularly. They’re just double checking.

Jones, a brand-new EMT who starts his senior year at Montville High School whenever school opens after the hurricane, said the station will be more staffed than it usually is.

Morin said that he was a new EMT when Hurricane Bob hit. They got a couple medical calls, but nothing that much out of the ordinary.

The site of the new public safety building was relatively quiet Friday afternoon. Most of the workers had gone home; one machine seemed to be smoothing out different areas. Most of the large piles of brush, woodchips and other debris that had been on the site are gone.

Bryce Wilkens, deputy chief of the Oakdale Fire Department, will be Tweeting throughout the storm. Wilkens's Twitter name is @nukefire40. The Montville Patch - @MontvillCTPatch -will also be Tweeting. Why not sign up to follow both?

At Stop & Shop, Store Manager Denise Provost said the store is ready for the storm. They’ve received extra water, batteries and other storm-related items. The generators are all ready, and Provost says she expects the store will be open during the storm.

Even at 10 a.m., the store was crowded. Nearly all the check-out counters were open, and there were lines at all of them.

Montville Parks and Recreation has canceled all activities on the fields for the weekend, taken in the tennis and volleyball nets, taken in trash barrels and notified youth groups to secure things like windows on the concession stands and the window air conditioner at Camp Oakdale.

The transfer station will be closed on Sunday.

The town’s Emergency Operations Center will be in Town Hall, Room 203, and will open at 6 p.m.

The shelter will be at Montville High School. Both will open at 6 p.m. today.

If you think you might want to go to the shelter, it's better to make the decision earlier rather than later, Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz said on Friday.

Before you leave your house, make sure your lights, TVs, fans, window air conditioners and the like are turned off, Jaskiewicz said. In the event of a power failure, turning off those devices could help save them if the power surges when it comes back on.

If you go to the shelter, Fire Marshal Occhialini advises you to bring:

• Bedding (for sleeping)
• Towels (for showers)
• Personal care items
• Snacks
• Medications
• Games to keep children busy

Food will be provided; there are no facilities for evacuees to cook at the high school.

 Pets

Pets can be brought to the shelter at Montville High School. They must be in a cage or crate, and the owners must provide food. Animal Control Officer Chris Martel says the town will be able to provide some crates, at the shelter.

 Wellness checks

Residents can register for wellness checks by calling Montville's Office of Emergency Management and asking to be added to the list. A similar report is collected annually by the state for Millstone-related emergencies.

Notification

Sign up at _www.ctalert.gov_ to be able to receive messages from the town and state in the event of an emergency.

Elsewhere

The state’s Department of Correction has canceled all visiting hours for all correctional facilities for Sunday, in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.

“We do not want anyone putting themselves in harm’s way by traveling to a correctional facility during a hurricane,” said DOC Commissioner Leo C. Arnone.  “As Governor Malloy has said, we are ‘preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.’ ”

Anyone planning to visit a correctional facility after Sunday is encouraged to check the DOC website first to make sure normal visiting hours have been restored.

They can also contact the department’s public information office at 860).692.7780.

Connecticut Light & Power has an outage map that you can follow – if you’re not affected by a power outage. To reach it, click here.

For a plain-text version of the map (better for a smartphone) click here. 

The Coast Guard’s 550 active duty members are making preparations, as well. Boats are being fueled. Smaller crafts are being pulled from the water. Authorization to call in its 180-strong reserve force has come through.

For more on the Coast Guard, click . 

Backus Hospital will close its off-campus locations on Sunday and  on Monday until noon. This includes the Backus Outpatient Care Center, its health centers, labs, and Backus Physician Services, according to the hospital's website.

The main hospital campus will be open throughout the storm, but patients are asked to only come in for emergencies. The public is asked not to visit patients during the storm.

For more, click here.

The state's attorney general, George Jepsen, said Friday that a regulation that prohibits charging “unconsciously excessive” prices for gasoline, heating oil and the like went into effect Friday afternoon and will continue through Wednesday. For more, click here.

According to The Bulletin, the Brooklyn Fair has been cut short; it will be open today, but not Sunday. Click here to read more.

Gary Murphy contributed to this story