Madison Residents in Low-Lying Areas Told to Evacuate Ahead of Hurricane Sandy

This information is from the Town of Madison:

Hello, this is your First Selectman Fillmore McPherson.

It is midday Sunday, and I am ordering the mandatory evacuation of low lying areas by nightfall tonight because of the coming flooding from Hurricane Sandy. You are getting this call because you live in this danger area.

We are facing three high tides: tonight, Monday midday, and Monday night, that will be extensive. We expect flooding to get worse with each tide, with the one Monday night to be worse than the legendary 1938 hurricane. It is imperative that you leave now while roads are still passable. Once the storm and high winds hit tomorrow, you may not be able to leave, and emergency personnel may not be able to help you. Before you go, secure any loose propane tanks and turn them off.

Regarding where you should go, your first option should be somewhere north of I-95, in Madison or out of town, with family, friends, or a hotel. Your second option is the Town’s Evacuation Center in the gym at Town Campus. It will be open at 6pm today. You should bring a three day supply of clothes, medicine, specialty foods, and personal hygiene products as well as a pillow and blanket and pet food.

Again, you are in danger and you must leave this afternoon.

Thank you, and good luck.

This was the second bulletin Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012:

Good afternoon. This is your First Selectman Fillmore McPherson with the Hurricane Sandy update as of Sunday afternoon. Heavy winds from the storm are expected to start around midnight tonight and to last through Tuesday. This is a much longer length of time than we have seen in previous storms, and we will experience at least three high tides of near catastrophic proportions. Flooding along the coast and some inland areas will be much worse than we saw with Irene last year.

At noon today I issued a mandatory evacuation notice for the low lying areas. I requested people to leave by sundown today. By far the best choice of where to go is to friends or relatives north of I-95 or out of town. This would be a good time to go visit your sister in New Hampshire for a few days. Failing those options, the emergency shelter at the town gym will be open at 6pm tonight. We have cots but you should bring three days worth of clothes, personal hygiene items, medicines, any special dietary needs, pet food, 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 tonight. Please resist the temptation to drive down and look at the waves tomorrow.

Supt. Tom Scarice has announced that schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Decisions about further closings will be made after any damage has been assessed.

Most town facilities will be closed tomorrow, including the Senior Center and Town Hall.

With this being the election season, there are a lot of political signs around on lawns and beside the roads. These could become dangerous projectiles in the high winds, so please remove these signs. The same thing applies to any sandwich board signs you may have out.

Remember, once winds reach 40 or more miles per hour, emergency and CL&P personnel will not be able to be out. This could last until late Tuesday or Wednesday.

In closing, please stay safe during this extremely dangerous and long lasting storm.

Here are some helpful links on the town's Hurricane Sandy webpage:

Food & Well Water Safety in an Emergency

Town of Madison - Storm Preparedness Information

State of Connecticut - Hurricane Sandy page

Subscribe to CT Alert - for email, text and phone updates

211ct.org - Disaster Information & Resources

CL&P (800) 286-2000

American Red Cross