Hurricane Irene Town Update - Friday Evening

After my evening Emergency Management meeting with our local Fire Chiefs, we have issued an Everbridge message to all residents who live in low lying and/or flood zone area within the town. We have advised them they are in a likely mandatory evacuation zone and have strongly encouraged them to evacuate.

We also advised them that we cannot guarantee that emergency services will be able to respond to them in the Hurricane. The Mass Shelter will be open at 1 p.m. at the Stonington High School.

As of 5 p.m. Friday night, a Hurricane Warning was been issued from north of Sandy Hook to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts...including New York City...Long Island...Long Island Sound...coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island...Block Island...Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The latest forecast is here.

The Emergency Operations Center will be opening at 8 a.m. and our next Emergency Management Team meeting will occur at 10 a.m. For any questions regarding this message or the upcoming Hurricane feel free to contact 860-535-5050.

• When formally mandated to evacuate, residents will be notified by the Everbridge Notification System and a Door-to Door process will also occur.
• To sign up for Enhanced Emergency Notification see https://ww2.everbridge.net/citizen/EverbridgeGateway.action?body=home&gis_alias_id=380761
• If you have a Dog or Cat and are mandated to evacuate, you can bring them to the shelter. The auxiliary gym will be available for pets.  Requirements include the pet needs to have a cage, food for the duration and any meds the pet may need. The owner will need to stay with the pet. If you need a dog cage, please reach out to Groton Animal Control who has some for “Regional Use”.
• If you have Special Needs please be sure your signed up on our registry  http://www.stonington-ct.gov/Pages/StoningtonCT_EMS/specneedsregistry
• Residents with Special Needs are being contacted and told about  the evacuation procedure
• Please note that power will probably be lost for several days as a result of this Hurricane

I look forward to keeping residents updated about forecast and advisories before and through the Hurricane by local media, Town of Stonington website www.Stonington-ct.gov and  personally through my social media sites of Facebook, Twitter and my Blog. Again, please be prepared for this Hurricane.