Final Preparations Being Made

As Hurricane Irene approaches, everyone is trying to prepare.

Supplies are flying off the shelves and towns are putting emergency plans into place.

Somers First Selectwoman Lisa Pellegrini said that they have emergency information listed on the town Web site and will continue to update it.

She also said that town residents would receive reverse 911 messages to keep them up-to-date on the situation.

Pellegrini is also urging every resident to prepare in advance. 

“Make sure you have bottled water, batteries, first aid kits, dry food, flashlights, etc.,” she said. “Make sure to fill up your vehicles with gas, have your generators filled, chains saws ready, etc. Make sure you have prescription medicines to last for at least two weeks and make sure to bring in bird feeders, hanging baskets, etc. Make sure you have your own personal safety plan available.”

On Friday afternoon, in Ellington was buzzing with people, and the shoppers could be heard talking about the impending storm. The only water left was sparkling or flavored, and employees were telling customers that more water may be coming on Saturday, but to call ahead before coming in.

There were also larger than AA, the bread aisle was nearly empty, and even the soda aisle was looking a little bare.

Gas supplies are running low - or are out at some gas stations - and 

in Ellington has generators in stock for purchase if people would like to have one at their home.

Pellegrini said that it is important to realize that we may undoubtedly have a loss of power that may last for days. 

“We are concerned with downed trees and powerlines,” she said “Be prepared to go without electricity for awhile as crews work to restore it.”

She added that the ground is saturated due to the amount of rain that we have had in the last few weeks - 11-12 inches.

“If your area has experienced flooding in the past make sure that you have plans to move to higher ground before the flooding starts,” she said.

Somers Fire Chief Gary Schiessl said that the department has identified the roads that typically have flooding problems and that it will be monitoring them closely to ensure that it can still get apparatus and resources to all areas of town in the case of an emergency.

The emergency shelter in Somers is Somers High School and as of Friday, it had not been activated. In Ellington, the plans were still being finalized and will be posted on the Web site on Saturday when they are done. 

Schiessl said that the is working with the Emergency Management component of the town to plan for the hurricane. 

“The Emergency Operations Center is currently located at the firehouse, so we will be working very closely together to mitigate all situations,” he said.

Schiessl added that the department plans on having people standing by at the station during the worst part of the storm. 

“This is to ensure that we have people available to man the fire trucks and ambulances when necessary,” he said. “Several of our members encountered this situation during Hurricane Gloria in 1985. We understand that we will receive many calls for help from our citizens over the course of the next few days.”

School is set to begin on Monday in Somers but that is looking questionable as . No decision has been made yet in Somers.

In Ellington, Monday is Convocation Day – which involves staff only – and Tuesday is also a staff day. Wednesday is the opening of school for the students.

“If we cannot open due to power outages we will add those work days later in the year,” Ellington Superintendent of Schools Stephen Cullinan said. “Once we get past Tuesday our first day will be a student day. The decisions are made when we have information available to make decisions. We have alerted staff to our plans.”

He said that the schools have made necessary precautions such as topping off tanks, checking generators and back-up systems, clearing drains, removing loose objects, moving food to freezers with generators, and reviewing procedures with key personnel. 

“We have been and will remain in contact with the town’s Emergency Management Director,” Cullinan said.