Community Corner

UPDATE: Governor Lays Out Hurricane Sandy Emergency Plan at 2 p.m.

Malloy to speak to media laying out emergency preparedness plan for state. National Hurricane Center downgrades Sandy to Tropical Storm and then an hour or so later, upgrades it to hurricane status again.

Update: Saturday, 8:30 a.m.  

Gov. Malloy will hold a media briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Hartford to provide an update on Connecticut’s preparedness efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy.

Storm downgraded to a Tropical Storm and then within a few hours, was upgraded to hurricane again after aircraft find hurricane force winds again. 

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

Hurricane or tropical storm, it's still a huge threat. 

Original story:

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

No matter what Hurricane Sandy brings, Montville Emergency Management Director Raymond Occhialini wants folks to get prepared and be aware.

Occhialini said he’s hopeful that following a statewide briefing Saturday at 1 p.m., “we’ll have more concrete information on what the heck” Sandy is going to do; cut into the mid-Atlantic or hit us directly.

Occhialini said what with predicted 8 to 15 inches of rain, coupled with an astronomical high tide on a full-moon Monday, make the storm something “that we need to take seriously and really prepare for.”

 

Shelter from the storm

East Lyme Middle Schoolhas been designated a regional shelter accepting two and four legged friends from Montville, Waterford, New London, East Lyme and Old Lyme and will likely open Sunday night, although that could change, Occhialini said depending on the storm’s track and predicted landfall.  More than 300 cots were being rounded up from local correctional facilities and while pets are being accepted, they’re some ground rules. Immunization records are a must, as is a carrier, food and water. Though it may be possible that in extreme cases a carrier or two could be rounded up, Occhialini said.

Should there be a long-term power outage and loss of water for those with electric wells, Montville High School will still be available for showering.

Montville moves to protect people and infrastructure

Before the governor made any announcements about Hurricane Sandy, Montville workers were pulling floating docks out of the water, filling sandbags and sharpening saw blades.

“Without really knowing exactly where and exactly when, we’ve been getting ready,” said Mayor Ronald McDaniel.  “We all need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Water Pollution Control Authority administrator Brian Lynch said his department is reviewing emergency management procedures. He said the pumps at the treatment plant have been checked and all working properly, fuel levels are at optimum levels and with generators at most pump stations and mobile ones in the event they’re needed; “We’re all set to go.”

Over at the department of public works, director Don Bourdeau said he’s confident “we’re well prepared.”

“We have 500 sand bags ready to go. We’re cleaning storm drains; we have our trucks ready with plows – in case we need to open roads. And our equipment is all ready to go; all our chainsaw blades are sharpened.”

Workers also pulled the town’s floating docks in from the Thames.

“We’re ready for it,” Bourdeau said.

Montville Patch will update this story continuously throughout the storm.


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