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02/07/2013 11:00 PMTHIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED AS INFORMATION ARRIVES.
A massive winter storm has already had significant impact on the region, with heaviest precipitation and accumulation expected 6 p.m. tonight and 6 a.m. tomorrow.
At approximately 6 p.m. on Feb. 7, Branford Public Schools issued an Alert Now annoucement to notify residents the district will close on Friday February 8, 2013 due to the anticipated effects of deteriorating weather.
Information from the Town of Branford and notice of a possible state road closure follows.
Town of Branford Storm Notices
Relevant to Branford busnesses is that beginning Friday morning and continuing into Saturday, everyone should begin emergency preparations for the expected heavy snowfalls of over 2ft., severe winds with gusts of up to 70 mph and moderate coastal flooding of up to 4 ft. above normal high tides.
Everyone is asked to please avoid parking in the roadway. At the same time, the Town's ordinance prohibits parking on the even side of the roadway during and for 24 hours after the snowfall is in effect. Please comply with this ordinance as it will greatly enhance the Department of Public Works ability to clear roadways efficiently. Violators of the ordinance could face up to a $90 fine and have their vehicle towed at their expense.
Town ordinance also prohibits depositing snow from private driveways into the roadway; property residents are responsible for violations committed by their private plowing contractors.
In order to receive updates on the storm and related activities, all Branford businesses and residents should subscribe to the Town's "B - Informed" emergency notification system. This system enables the Town to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, etc. You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, cell, or business phone, email, text messages, hearing impaired receiving devices, and more. You pick where, you pick how. To subscribe, follow this link: https://ww2.everbridge.net/citizen/EverbridgeGateway.action?body=home&gis_alias_id=640771 and follow the easy instructions.
Finally, a reliable source for current weather and storm information is the Branford Fire Department's facebook page.
Governor to Declare State of Emergency, Roads Subject to Closure Beginning at NoonPress release from Governor Dannel P. Malloy
Governor Dannel P. Malloy will declare a state of emergency in preparation for the coming blizzard which is anticipated to heavily impact the state Friday and Saturday. In addition, the governor announced that limited access highways may be subject to closure as early as noon. The governor is asking all residents to limit nonessential travel.
"People need to take this storm seriously. If current predictions are accurate, we will need people to stay off the roads so that emergency personnel and utility crews can get to the places they need to get to, and to make sure that our plows can keep critical roadways clear," Governor Malloy said. "Please stay home once the weather gets bad except in the case of real emergency."
A Declaration of Emergency provides the governor with a number of emergency powers, including:
• The ability to modify or suspend any state statute, regulation, or requirement (for example: altering work hours, waiving licensing requirements, etc.)
• The ability to order civil preparedness forces into action
• The ability to designate vehicle and person routes and movements