Politics & Government

Hurricane Sandy@Madison, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012: Malloy, "The Situation Is Dire"

What happened in your neighborhood? Let us know. Please continue to use your common sense. Do not put yourself, or our emergency response representatives, in unnecessary danger.

 

 

11:59pm

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

Residents on Taylor Avenue, off of Neck Road are reporting that they are fine. "The water level came up to where the yellow speed bumps were [where Toffee Lane intersects with Taylor Avenue] but it's going down now," one resident reported at 11:50pm.

High tide in Madison was at 11:36pm.

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

This does not mean the danger is over or that it is safe to go outside. Please wait to hear before going out unless there is an emergency or you need to evacuate. The town's emergency management officials closed local roads at 1pm and had not made an announcement that roads were back open.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said thousands along the shoreline may have been trapped in their homes. He and Madison First Selectman Fillmore McPherson urged anyone trapped in their homes by water to stay until the flood waters receded.

Some in Madison who were in mandatory evacuation zones decided to stay anyway. Some then found themselves stranded by rising flood waters with no way to escape. Adding to the danger were falling trees and power lines around town. In addition, one fire was reported near the waterfront by Seaview Beach, but it could not be immediately confirmed whether it was a fire or a false alarm.

What happened in your neighborhood? I hope everyone is safe. Please let us know in the comments how you are doing. If you have any information that needs to be posted immediately, call me or text me at 203-200-9756 or you can post directly to "blogs," the link is under the top four stories on the front page.

You are also welcome to post pictures or videos directly to this story, but please do not venture out until it is safe to do so.

In Madison, as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, 81 percent of the town was out of power, or about 7,411 customers of 9,056 served by CL&P in town.

High tide in Madison was at 11:36pm.

 

What happened in your neighborhood? I hope everyone is safe. Please let us know in the comments how you are doing. If you have any information that needs to be posted immediately, call me or text me at 203-200-9756 or you can post directly to "blogs," the link is under the top four stories on the front page.

You are also welcome to post pictures or videos directly to this story, but please do not venture out until it is safe to do so.

In Madison, as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, 81 percent of the town was out of power, or about 7,411 customers of 9,056 served by CL&P in town. Statewide, here are the numbers: 

Total CL&P Customers Served:
1,240,246

Total CL&P Customers Reported Affected:
494,013

% of CL&P Customers Reported Affected:
39%

It is not safe to walk or drive through flood waters.

 


10:42pm

Town of Madison, CT ‏@Madison911

reporting on Twitter: Madison: STRUC FIRE AND ALL FIRE IN STR FAIRVIEW AVE/MAPLE AVE X-STR: Premise: FAIRVIEW AVE/MAPLE AVE

Fire has not been confirmed by emergency management officials. Fairview Avenue and Maple Avenue is close to Seaview Avenue in Madison, which is inundated, or close to being inundated, with water rising. High tide is a little less than an hour away at 11:36 p.m. in Madison.

CNN is reporting 10 deaths nationwide from "Superstorm Sandy."

From CL&P:

With the hurricane-like weather currently hitting our area, our electric system is taking on damage leaving some of our customers without service. Right now, we are responding to emergency situations and assessing system damage. Our own employees, in addition to contractor crews, are ready to respond once it is safe to do so. The weather forecast calls for sustained strong winds for many more hours. Because of this, we expect that our system will continue to take on more damage resulting in additional outages. CL&P is warning customers that service may not return for an extended period of time.

 If you experience an outage, please call 800-286-2000 or go to www.cl-p.com  (via PC or mobile device) to report it. It's important that you report an outage even if you think your neighbors may have already reported it. The more information we have, the better we are able to improve our assessment of damage and make repairs. Please stay safe. The storm is leaving massive amounts of damage and debris including downed tree limbs and power lines.

 Important Safety Reminders:

  • If you see a downed power line, always assume it is live; do not go near it, and never drive over the line.
  • If you use a generator, follow all safety precautions and be sure it is ventilated properly.
  • If you use a cell phone, be sure to save your power.
  • Food in your refrigerator will keep for 6 to 9 hours, and food in your freezer will keep between 36 and 48 hours. It will help to minimize the number of times the door is opened. 
  • For information on emergency disaster services, including shelters, please contact the American Red Cross at 800-733-2767 (800-RED-CROSS) or online at www.redcross.org.

10:12pm

Just spoke with First Selectman Fillmore McPherson. He is touring the town with Madison Police Chief Jack Drumm, Town Engineer Mike Ott, and Emergency Management Director John Bowers. He said the town has already evacuated to a Level 4.

"The town has already done that, that is basically what we did the other day," he said. "I am with the chief right now and we are inspecting the town, along with Mike and John Bowers. And we are checking on flooding. So far, the flooding is worse than Irene and we have an hour and a half to go before high tide."

McPherson said they started on the Boston Post Road. Parts of the post road are closed in several locations. They have also toured Island Avenue, Middle Beach West and West Wharf.

"Surf Club road is completely flooded. West Wharf is flooded all the way back to the intersection with Surf Club Road."

McPherson said residents who are close to rising water and haven't left, to leave if they still can do so safely. He said if people are in a house surrounded by water to "just hunker down."

Madison 911 Emergency Communications reporting on Facebook: "from what we were told the town was evacuated to level 3... level 4 brings the evac inland a little more, but not much of a difference. Basically almost everyone south of Rt 1 should have evacuated, with some exceptions in the Liberty Street neighborhood."

9:51pm

Gov. Dannel Malloy says Connecticut is experiencing five to seven foot seas in the lower portion of Long Island Sound. "If you take 11 feet and add seven feet to it, that's what we're talking about," he said during a recent news conference.

He said if your home is inundated with water, do not swim out, do not drive through the water, go to the highest level of your home and stay there.  

9:17pm

A resident of Parker Avenue says the water is four feet high on Parker Avenue and Parker Lane. All of the houses are close to being inundated with water, she said. She said the lot between her house and Madison Beach Hotel, down the street, is completely under water.

She said her house, which was recently raised up and rebuilt after it was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene, is close to being inundated with water.

She says she is moving to the highest level of her home and is going to stay there.

9:00pm

 

GOV. MALLOY ORDERS LOCAL OFFICIALS ON SHORELINE TOWNS FROM GREENWICH TO OLD SAYBROOK TO “HIGH ALERT”

Tells them he wants them to order Level 4 evacuations immediately

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, based on the most recent data from the National Weather Service which suggests that the strong possibility exists for historic flooding at high tide later tonight, convened an emergency call at approximately 8:15pm with the mayors and first selectmen of the coastal towns that comprise the state’s Regions 1 and 2.

The data suggests that each town should immediately evacuate people for what is known as a Category 4 event, the highest possible warning. 

The towns primarily concerned are in Region 1: Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford and Westport.  Other towns of substantial concern are in Region 2: Branford, Guilford, Clinton, East Haven, Madison, Milford, New Haven, Old Saybrook, West Haven, and Westbrook.

“I’ve told the mayors and first selectmen that they have no time to waste,” said Governor Malloy.   “To the extent they have the ability to order mandatory evacuations I’ve told them must give this their highest priority.  I was concerned all along about the potential destructive impact of this last high tide, and unfortunately the best information we have confirms my worst fears.”

“I’m concerned about all these towns, but I’m especially concerned about the towns from Greenwich to Bridgeport.  Those are municipalities with large population centers that are in harm’s way.  I told those municipal leaders that these people need to be evacuated, and I they need to be evacuated now.”

“The situation is dire.”

Here are the town's maps that show the difference between Level 3 and Level 4: http://www.madisonct.org/emergency/surge.html.

7:27pm

Now CL&P reporting 7,491 customers without power, or 82 percent of town.

7:13pm

Asked on Facebook who still had power. Here's what we're hearing:

6:42pm


Update from CL&P:

The effects of Hurricane Sandy are being felt across the state, with wind speeds increasing and water levels on the rise.  Connecticut Light & Power’s response has begun, and workers have come from across the country to assist CL&P in its restoration effort. "More than one thousand line workers have arrived from as far away as the Pacific Northwest, Texas and Washington,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P Senior Vice President of Emergency Preparedness.  "Crews continue working as long as it is safe to do so, and our first priority is always responding to emergencies and ensuring public safety.”  

SAFETY FIRST
Safety is the top priority for electrical workers and customers.  Customers are reminded to stay at least 10 feet away from all downed wires and anything they touch.  Any dangerous situation should be reported to emergency responders by calling 9-1-1.  

COMMUNITY RESPONSE
CL&P will continue to coordinate a community-wide response with town, state, and emergency management officials. For information on the statewide response, please visit Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at www.ct.gov/demhs.  The Connecticut American Red Cross, one of CL&P’s partners in emergency preparedness, provides helpful information and resources at www.ctredcross.org.  

OUTAGE REPORTING
To report a power outage, call CL&P at 800-286-2000 or use the “Report an Outage” link at www.cl-p.com.  For tips and updates from CL&P, follow us on Twitter @CTLightandPower and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ctlightandpower.

 

6:34pm

CL&P reporting Madison 8,064 customers without power, or about 89 percent of the town.

6:28pm

NBC TV Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan ‏@ryanhanrahan reporting on Twitter: "Convection and some boundary layer mixing has developed. Weather speak for destructive winds heading into shoreline. Seek shelter."

5:26pm

Town of Madison, CT ‏@Madison911 on Twitter says: "Stay indoors. The worst part of the storm has arrived and there are numerous trees/wires down. It will be like this for several hours."

One Madison Patch Facebook reader is reporting that there may be a line crew on Summer Hill Road in North Madison trapped between two downed trees, but that has not been confirmed by town officials or emergency response officials. The Madison resident who reported it said he heard it from line crews who are working on his street in Madison. So there are line crews out in Madison working on the power outages. This resident, who lives on Bridle Path, off of Summer Hill Road, just lost power.

County Way also just lost power.

Statewide, 185,730 CL&P customers without power, about 14 percent of total.

In Madison, 5,791 without power, about 63 percent of town.

From Facebook:

Residents on Taylor Avenue who were blocked in at both ends by trees are reporting that they have cleared the road of one of the trees, opening access again. About seven to eight residents headed out with chainsaws and cleared the tree.

4:59pm

Madison 911 reporting on Twitter wires down near Boston Post Road and Academy Street, near the center of town.

Madison 911 also reporting a transformer fire near Fort Path Road and Jannas Lane.

Residents reporting on Twitter that tree limbs down on Railroad Avenue close to Wall Street near the center of town.

Residents on Taylor Avenue reporting a tree down near 93 Taylor Avenue and blocking road near end of street where Long Island Sound is coming in near Toffee Lane.

Taylor Avenue resident (one who had evacuated and learned about it from neighbors who decided to stay) reported it to non-emergency number at police department. Dispatcher asked for cross street, then dispatcher politely noted "that was a mandatory evacuation area."

Taylor Avenue residents were among those who received hand-delivered evacuation orders Sunday. Many residents on the street opted to leave, others opted to stay.

Shortly after that, residents reported on Taylor Avenue reported that they lost power and that a pine tree fell on Taylor, near the intersection with Neck Road, blocking residents from both sides. Residents who stayed say they are heading out with chainsaws to see if they can clear road.

4:12pm

Outages in Madison remain around 419. Total CL&P outages in Connecticut over 84,000.

From Hurricane Central ‏@twc_hurricane on Twitter, retweeting @marnielevy: POWER OUTAGE #SANDY UPDATE: NY: 144,333 | NJ: 131,542 | CT: 56,022 | MA: 45,120 | MD: 34,074 | PA: 17,203 | DE: 12, 203

3:19pm

Some readers in North Madison on Facebook reported power was out for about an hour, then came back on.

  • Linda La Bella Paré: "We lost power for about 1 and 1/2 hours but it's back for the time being.- Rockland
  • Catherine Mary Venturini: "Lights back on here in Rockland!"
  • Casey Busby Davern: 'Ours came back on in N mad."
  • Janet Nicolini "Pem, I know they are out there repairing any issues they can get to before it gets too dangerous with the wind. They are in working until it becomes too windy to work. Then they will stop till the worst passes, assess the damage, address the worst emergencies first, and then get to the rest. So it's very likely this number is accurate."
  • Sharon Hession Hart My parents who live in N. Madison lost their power for an hour and a half, then Whala ~ was restored!!!

Like ...

Outages back up to 419 in Madison. This from Chris: "Just lost power myself. In Brantwood. Off Woodland RD near Old 79 and the Ambulance Center."


3:00pm

CL&P now reporting outages in Madison at 139, down from earlier report of more than 1,000. Has anyone seen power go back on after going off?

2:15pm

Reader reporting in that power out on Colonial Road, near Warpas, so closer to center of town. Many power outages reported in North Madison.

 

2:05pm

Readers reporting on on Facebook that power out on Heatherwood off Summer Hill, Dorset Lane, a road four blocks north of the traffic circle, Princess Drive, County Road, Northwood Road. "Tree down near Chatfield Hollow on Route 80, taking lines with it."

Several readers reporting things are still fine downtown and that power on areas on Route 1/Boston Post Road still have power. Remarkably, some areas off of Neck Road still have power, but readers are reporting water levels already close to what they were during Irene.

1:42pm

In Madison, 1,015 without power, of 9,056. If power goes out, unplug. Leave one light plugged in so you know when it comes back on, CL&P says.

If you are without power, let us know in the comments so we know what parts of town are being affected.

In Connecticut, 22,794 customers without power, about 1 percent of total customers. In Clinton, 78 without power. In Guilford, 1,008 without power.

Before the roads in Madison closed at 1 p.m., Madison resident Tom Tung said he observed the following: "Downtown looked deserted at around noon Monday 10/29. Town officials only allowing local traffic down to the shore. West Wharf is closed off with police tape First Selectmen Filmore McPherson walks down to check on West Wharf."

 

12:49pm

Two customers in Madison without power, as reported by CL&P, which is 0.02 percent of 9,056 customers in Madison.

That's not a lot, but what a drag to be first when it comes to this.  

Resident who lives north of post road, but in southern end of town reporting "just really windy and the power is flickering." Home with a small child and, having stocked up on other essentials, she is now downloading Dora movies to her iPad. "Can you tell I'm desperate?"

How are you faring? Let us know.

Some good advice on NBC-TV station in Hartford from Ken Katz, from Travelers Ins. Co.: "Make sure your windows are closed and locked. Make sure your garage door is closed and locked. Make sure your doors are bolted."

 

11:20am

Hurricane Sandy Update No. 3 From First Selectman McPherson:


This is your First Selectman Fillmore McPherson with this Hurricane Sandy update number 3 for Monday morning. As previously predicted, the storm is continuing to intensify through today and Tuesday. The strongest winds will be from now to midnight tonight. The flooding could reach catastrophic proportions tonight and tomorrow. We expect long term flooding in the Neck Road area, Middle Beach Road and adjacent streets, and other low lying areas. We also expect flooding on the Boston Post Road around the railroad underpass and closer to Guilford. Again, if you were notified to evacuate we urge you to do so immediately.


Access to the shoreline areas is limited to local residents only effective immediately. All others, including walkers, are not allowed. Please, do not try to go down to view the waves. All town streets will be closed to non-essential vehicles at 1pm today. This follows the Governor’s ban on state roads, which includes the Boston Post Road and Durham Road.


In the event that we lose power, if you have standby generators, please adhere to two major safety rules. First, make sure your switch is set to not feed back into the power grid. You don’t want to be the cause of someone being electrocuted. Also, in that regard, if you see a line down, always assume it is live. Second, make sure the generator exhaust is well away from any part of the house. We don’t want any carbon monoxide deaths.
Also, if traffic lights are out because of power loss, please stop and proceed as if it were a stop sign.


Further, another reminder that if you are on well water you should fill your bathtub in case you need flushing water and fill your kitchen pots and pans for drinking water. This also applies to people on town water in case the system gets flooded out.


Regarding political lawn signs, please remove them as they can become a major windborne hazard.


Finally, Supt. Tom Scarice has just announced that schools will remain closed on Wednesday.


Please stay safe. Good bye.

From Metro North: "MNR service is suspended at this time in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. See full details/updates at www.mta.info"

CL&P is reporting more than 13,000 power outages at this point, around the state. None are reported by CL&P in Madison at this point.

11:12am

Town officials say that the Madison Police Department is in the process of closing beaches.

[Note from your Madison Patch Editor: What are people doing at the beaches?! Go home and stay there! Don't make our emergency personnel busy doing stuff like clearing people off beaches when they have an emergency to deal with. There was some guy on TV, he was from New Jersey, and he was hanging out on the beach. Maybe they don't know better. We do! Go home! Now!]

Town officials are discussing whether to close local roads. Local roads may be closed by 3 p.m. But it also may be earlier.

 

9:49am

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today ordered road closures for all state highways.  The closures will be implemented in two phases.  At 11:00 A.M., trucks will be prohibited from operating on limited access highways.  At 1:00 P.M., state highways will be closed to all non-emergency related vehicles.

“Residents need to take this storm very seriously.  Beginning in the next several hours, wind gusts will begin to exceed 50 m.p.h., making traveling along our roads – especially wooded areas like the Merritt Parkway – very dangerous.  We’re doing this in two phases, so that trucks will first be prohibited and then all non-emergency vehicles.  If you’re in a non-evacuation area, stay home.”

NBC Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan ‏@ryanhanrahan is reporting on Twitter: "49mph wind gust at Groton-New London airport."

WTNH News 8 ‏@WTNH is reporting on Twitter, "More than 1000 CT residents have lost power in the last 20 minutes alone."

9:00am

Madison officials have ordered a mandatory evacuation of households south of the Boston Post Road, and other low-lying areas in Madison, including parts of Green Hill Road.

Volunteer firefighters spent Sunday knocking on doors and leaving fliers for people in affected neighborhoods. Please see this story to see if your neighborhood is on the map. If you've been asked to evacuate and haven't yet, you should do so immediately. If you're at home, it's probably best to stay there at this point.

 

Here is information from the town of Madison and other sources:

  • If you have not already done so, use your computer to register your cell phone at ct.gov/ctalert so you can receive emergency notifications if your land line goes out.  Remember, that the cordless phones that we typically use today will not work if the power is out.  Also, if you use COMCAST or a voice over internet phone, it will be knocked out if the power is gone. 
  • If you depend on well water, fill up your bath tub so you have water for toilet flushing, and fill up your kitchen pots and pans so you have drinking water.
  • The non-emergency number for Madison Police Department is (203) 245-2721. 
  • The shelter in the gym at Madison Town Campus off of Duck Hole Road, just north of the Hammonasset Connector is open. The town has cots but asks visitors to bring three days worth of clothes, personal hygiene items, medicines, any special dietary needs, pet food if you are bringing your pet, a pillow, and a blanket.
  • Because of the high winds and hazardous driving conditions streets south of Boston Post Road will be closed to all but local residents starting at midnight Sunday. Do not drive down and look at the waves.
  • Madison Public Schools are closed, along with most other schools in Madison.
  • RJ Julia Booksellers is closed, along with some other businesses downtown.
  • Most town facilities are closed Monday, including the Senior Center and Town Hall.
  • Metro-North is reporting "MNR service is suspended at this time in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. See full details/updates at www.mta.info"
  • All flights at Bradley International Airport after the last scheduled departure at 10:3o a.m. have been suspended. Gov. Malloy says the airport will be closed at 1 p.m.

The town of Madison has posted the following links on the town website:

Connecticut Light & Power

As of 9 a.m., many residents in Madison were reporting on Facebook that they they have either evacuated to a safer place, or that they are hunkered down in their homes. Town, state, and forecasters are predicting a monster storm that is potentially life threatening.

  • Ed Sutcliffe says, "I live 4 miles off the coast on 79 across from the Ryerson School.. Cloudy, a little drizzle, and Breezy... Watching the News... Still having power is a bonus.. Coffee is Good..."
  • Cheryl Terrio says, "Same here over near Mungertown Rd..Windy some small limbs on the ground but waiting for the worst. Also drinking coffee while the power is on! Just saw on TV approx 2000 CT residents are already without power..its not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN. Charging all the electronics."
  • Elizabeth Meehan Neighbors says, "Same on Copperstone Lane above the high school. Still finishing up some laundry while we have power. For some real fun, maybe I'll vacuum!"
  • Mary Cozzolino Mulhern says, "Same here on County Road. Having coffee and a warm shower, finishing laundry and runningbone more vaccuum!"
  • Christine Harla Kane "Everything looking good over here on Oakwood.. Kids and I showered and dishwasher going. Laundry done.. Now we wait. With hot coffee in hand.."

What are you doing? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.


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