Montville Shelter Will Be Open for Showers

The emergency shelter at Montville High School is now closed, Fire Marshal Ray Occhialini said this morning, adding that people who still need a shelter are welcome at the East Lyme Senior Center.

The regional shelter is at the East Lyme Senior Center, 37 Society Road, according to Red Cross spokesman Paul Shipman. It is open now and is available to anyone in the region. It is allowing pets, although they must be crated.

Shipman said that if people have questions about sheltering, they should first call their town emergency management number and find out about local options. He said the number 2-1-1 also provides information 24 hours a day.

Shipman said anyone coming to the overnight shelter is urged to bring pillows, sleeping bags or bedding, toiletries and anything to pass the time (books, games, etc).

He said there is food at the shelter.

Occhialini and Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz said that people needing showers can come to Montville High School from 6-9 p.m. today and again Tuesday to use the facilities.

If you go, you should bring all your own personal items, as well as your own towels.

If you need drinking water, you may bring containers to the high school tonight and Tuesday from 6-9 p.m., and fill them up there.

Town Hall has a generator, and is open for business as usual today, Jaskiewicz said.

Throughout town, roads are blocked by downed trees and wires. The mayor said that Connecticut Light & Power had been in the area Sunday night, and was expected back today for at least a while.

The immediate focus is on clearing areas where trees are down and wires are wrapped around them.

"All we want to do is clear those areas first," Jaskiewicz said. Then the focus will shift to getting power back to Montville.That might be near the end of the week, he said.

Jaskiewicz cautioned people to be careful as they are driving around town; you can be driving along and everything seems fine, but then all of a sudden, there's a downed tree or downed wire.

"We are trying to do the best we can to get the roads open again," he said.

The repairs on Kitemaug Road are finished enough to allow people to drive over the bridge-like area that was closed last week. Trees and wires down farther along Kitemaug are resulting in another detour, this one going in the other direction.

The state of emergency is still in effect in Montville.

Elissa Bass contributed to this story