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08/22/2021 12:00 AMThe Hurricane Warning for Long Island, the southern coast of New England, and Block Island was changed to a Tropical Storm Warning Sunday morning, as residents and officials kept a watchful eye on a storm that still could wreak havoc on the states trees and powerlines.
“On the forecast track, Henri is expected to make landfall in southern New England or on Long Island later this morning or early this afternoon. After landfall, a turn back toward the north and an even slower forward speed are expected as Henri moves over southern New England,” the National Weather Service (NWS) reported early Sunday. “On the forecast track, Henri is expected to make landfall in southern New England or on Long Island later this morning or early this afternoon. After landfall, a turn back toward the north and an even slower forward speed are expected as Henri moves over southern New England.”
The storm could produce rainfall of up to three to six inches over parts of the state today, resulting in “considerable flash, urban, and small stream flooding, along with the potential for widespread minor to isolated moderate river flooding.”
Southern New England also could experience tornadoes as the storm moves through, forecasters said.
Local officials said Henri remains a potentially dangerous storm and urged residents to remain vigilant and to monitor forecasts as they are updated.
East Haven Fire Department Chief Matthew Marcarelli, citing a report from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, reported on Sunday morning that north winds were currently gusting around 35 mph along the southeast coast, and that winds would continue to increase throughout the morning and into the afternoon, with the strongest winds expected in the southeast corner of the state.
“Henri is now forecast to make landfall near the Connecticut/Rhode Island border between 1 and 2 p.m., as a strong tropical storm with sustained winds of 65 MPH and gusts to 80 mph,” he posted on Facebook.
He said moderate coastal flooding is expected and that a storm surge of about three feet could cause flooding along the coast west of the storm during times of high tide. High tide this morning ranged from 9:49 a.m. in New London to just before noon in Bridgeport.
Tree and powerline damage remained one of the biggest concerns, with wind gusts of up to 75 mph remaining a possibility.
“These strong wind gusts could cause major tree and powerline damage in southeastern CT and moderate tree and powerline damage across the rest of the state,” Marcarelli said.
Shoreline Residents Advised to Evacuate on Saturday
On Saturday, in anticipation of the storm, officials in Madison, Guilford, East Haven, and some other shoreline towns advised residents south of the Boston Post Road and in other flood zones to evacuate. Firefighters in Madison went door-to-door in some Madison neighborhoods, letting people know about the evacuation order and handing out bright orange flyers with the details. In East Haven, officials set up a sandbag station at the beach, with 12,000 bags that they said they hoped would not be needed. Public works officials were scheduled to work until 9 p.m. Saturday with any residents wanting to avail themselves of the sandbags. Many, although not all restaurants, book stores, and other businesses that serve the public announced they would be closed Sunday in anticipation of the storm. Some gas stations on the shoreline ran out of gas on Saturday, as residents rushed to fill their vehicle gas tanks and to buy fuel for their generators. Intermittent gas shortages, and long lines for gas were reported as far inland as East Haddam on Saturday night.
Eversource officials said Friday they have made “unprecedented preparations” for the storm and that, if it hits Connecticut, it could result in up to 49 percent of customers experiencing outages. Officials initially said restoration times that could extend to up to 10 days. On Saturday, when Henri appeared to be gaining strength, they increased that estimate, saying “that of the roughly 1.25 million Eversource electric customers in Connecticut, between 50 and 69 percent could lose power and restoration efforts could last between 8 and 21 days.”
Connecticut Water Company (CWC) officials said customers near and south of the Boston Post Road should set aside enough water for drinking, toilet flushing, and hygiene purposes for several days. They said predicted flooding could affect low-lying drinking water mains and facilities along the shoreline.
“Depending on actual flooding conditions, it may be necessary to shut off water service to some neighborhoods to safeguard the water system and sure that water service can be restored as quickly as possible,” CWC said.
Governor Ned Lamont urged residents to listen and heed information from local officials and to prepare and expect to shelter in place by Sunday through at least Monday morning.
While the exact timing and ferocity of the storm remained uncertain Saturday morning, forecasters were predicting the possibility of landfall somewhere near New Haven, with squalls starting late Saturday or early Sunday, and the worst of it sometime Sunday. While the storm had tracked westward overnight into Saturday morning, as of Sunday morning landfall was expected at the Connecticut/Rhode Island border .
Madison Orders Mandatory Evacuations
In Madison, First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living south of the Boston Post Road.
“The Town of Madison has issued a Mandatory Emergency Evacuation Order for all residents south of the Boston Post Road in Madison. If you reside in this area, you must evacuate your home no later than 9 p.m. this evening due to the likelihood of significant storm surge and coastal flooding resulting from the arrival of Hurricane Henri,” she said in a text message and in a phone message. “Any residents who do not leave the evacuation zone by 9 p.m. tonight are putting their lives at risk and public safety crews will not be able to respond to you once winds exceed 50 MPH. If you live in the evacuation zone and are homebound with no way to evacuate, please contact the Madison Police Department as soon as possible at (203) 245-6500 for assistance. For those evacuees who need a shelter, the Town will be opening the Emergency Shelter at 5 p.m. today located at the Town Campus Gym at 8 Campus Drive. The Town Shelter does have accommodations for pets if absolutely necessary. More information on the evacuation zone and local resources available will be available on the Town website at www.madisonct. org.”The fire department in Old Saybrook warned residents to be prepared for the possibility of “an extreme power outage.” They also said those along the shoreline should consider staying with family or friends outside of the area.
“If you had flooding from Irene or Sandy you will have flooding on this storm. Please remember that in Old Saybrook that even if your home is on some high ground the roads out of your area of town may be in a flood area,” the Old Saybrook fire fighters said in a Facebook post late Friday. “This will prevent you from leaving and public safety from getting to you. Look at the map in the photos pay attention to the purple area on the map for roads that are expected to be impassable. If you rely on those roads to be passable you should not stay.”
They added this: “when the storm hits and sustained winds of 50 MPH occur the Fire Dept WILL NOT respond to emergencies until the sustained winds drop again below 50 MPH. This is a very good reason to strongly consider leaving town. Don’t wait until Sunday.”
In Madison, there were lines in the supermarket and occasional lines at gas stations overnight Friday and into Saturday morning, as people filled up both their cars and gas cans for their generators.
The Clinton Volunteer Fire Department said residents should stay up to date with the very latest forecast, as they continue to change.
“As with all storms Henri’s track continues to change. With the most recent adjustment Henri will have a severe impact to Clinton and surrounding communities. The towns emergency management team continues to watch the forecast and has been in touch with regional and state officials,” they wrote in a notice on Facebook.”
They also said residents should complete preparations today, find a safe place to be, and then remain in a safe place to ride out the storm.
“A full moon tide is predicted. If you had flooding during Hurricanes Irene or Sandy, you should expect flooding during this storm. EMERGENCY WORKERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH YOU DURING THE STORM. Have a plan to relocate to a safe location before the storm. If you reside on Cedar Island, live in an areas prone to flooding, or are dependent on others for assistance you should make preparations now,” they wrote.
They urged residents to, on Saturday, secure propane tanks, fuel tanks, boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, outdoor furniture, garbage cans, and any other objects that may drift or be picked up by the wind.
In addition to power outages, they said blocked roads and streets should be expected, and so people should fuel up their vehicles, and have whatever food, water, and medications that are needed.
“Predetermine where you would evacuate if it should become necessary. Due to COVID-19 it is best to shelter with family or in a hotel, congregate sheltering should be your last resort,” they wrote.
They also urged residents to sign up for CT Alerts at https://portal.ct.gov/ctalert. “This is critical as the storm path begins to become more defined. If the town needs to notify citizens of evacuations or other critical information that will be to form of communication.”
Eversources Calls in 4,000 Crews
Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Eversource, New England’s largest energy provider, said the company has set up a new reporting system for municipalities, called the Municipal Hub, which is being used for the first time during this storm and is designed to facilitate two-way communication between municipalities and Eversource.
“We’ve had training sessions with the towns, and the two-way system allows the towns to give us information regarding situations, blocked roads, downed trees, and essential services without power,” he said, adding that the reporting system should help Eversource respond effectively to Henri.
“We’ve mobilized all hands on deck. We’ve canceled vacations. And customers need to take this seriously, too. They need to be prepared, get their storm kits ready, listen to forecasts, and stay informed. This has the potential to be a very stressful event.
Gross said Eversource has been watching the storm for days, and has made preparations that Eversource President Joseph R. Nolan, Jr., calls “unprecedented.” About 4,000 crews, of two to three people each, have been called in already, Gross said.
“We’re talking thousands and thousands of people. We’ve already secured 4,000 hotel rooms around the state and are making arrangements to have 3,000 bunks set up in trailers, so the line workers can rest between shifts,” he said. The Crystal Mall in Waterford has been set up as a staging area, among other locations.
Eversource urges customers to always stay clear of any downed wires and to report them immediately to 911. “Be sure to report any outage online at www.eversource.com, or by calling 800-286-2000. Customers who signed up for the company’s two-way texting feature can send a text to report an outage and receive outage updates as they happen.”
For more information about the company’s response to Henri, and to report outages, visit www.eversource.com/content/ct-c/residential/outages.
Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration Requested
Connecticut Gov. Lamont said Friday afternoon he would be requesting “a pre-landfall presidential emergency declaration to provide Connecticut with federal assistance needed for storm response.”
He also said he would be declaring a state of emergency in advance of the story making landfall, which will allow the state to take actions as necessary to respond to the storm.
The Connecticut State Emergency Operations Center will be partially activated on Saturday, and Lamont said he anticipates it being fully activated by Sunday morning.
“I have requested The Connecticut National Guard to bring 200 guardsmen and -women of the to state active duty beginning Saturday morning. They will begin preparation efforts as needed for potential issues that may arise during and after the storm,” he said.
On Saturday, Lamont implemented a travel ban on I-95 for all empty tractor trailers, tandem tractor trailers, and motorcycles, beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday and until further notice.
Lamont said he had a call with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials who are also preparing for the storm.
“We also just completed a statewide call with municipal officials to coordinate activities among the state and local levels. As this storm moves toward Connecticut, we’re anticipating heavy rainfall and high winds, with coastal and urban flooding a significant concern. Right now, it’s a good idea for everyone to be prepared and expect to shelter in place by Sunday afternoon through at least Monday morning.”
Zip06 will continue to monitor the progress of Henri.