Towns Plan for Irene's Arrival

Long before Hurricane Irene is expected to take a swipe at Connecticut, town officials are hunkering down to put emergency plans in motion ahead of the storm.

On Thursday, Durham's emergency management director, Francis Willett, and eight other town officials met to discuss the town's readiness for Irene -- now expected to make landfall as a Category 1 storm around 5 p.m. Sunday.

Willett said Coginchaug High School, which serves as the town's emergency shelter, could be opened in as little as 30-minutes should it be needed to shelter evacuated residents.

"It's a tough call, because people normally will shelter in place and so we'll have to play that all by ear," First Selectman Laura Francis said about the decision to open the high school as a shelter. "But certainly if we start seeing damage and displaced people the shelter can be activated."

Willett said Durham's Animal Response Team (DART) would provide shelter for pets at the high school. Cots and food would be provided to anyone seeking shelter there.

Durham Fire Chief Robert Chadd, who spoke to the group over telephone, said volunteer firefighters will be stationed at the firehouse for at least 36-hours during the brunt of the storm, beginning Sunday morning.

"We'll have a full manned station," he said.

The town and fire department have about a dozen pumps on hand to help with flooded basements.

"We spent [Wednesday] and [Thursday] going through all the culverts and brooks to make sure they are relatively clean," Kurt Bober, the town's public works director, explained to the group.

Temporary signs have been put in place to alert drivers to closed or flooded roads, if needed, he said.

"We have our box van that has a bunch of barricades in it, it's got sandbags in it ... all of our chainsaws, all of our equipment. Everything is fueled up, we're ready to go."

Officials agreed that town property would be used as temporary sites to keep debris, including downed trees and limbs.

First Selectman Laura Francis said officials planned to hold another meeting Friday morning, and possibly again Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Killingworth officials met Thursday evening to put together a similar plan. 

Donald McDougal, the town's emergency management director, said his biggest concern, at least for now, was the damage the storm's high winds would create.

"Trees. That's going to be our biggest problem," he said.

McDougal said the town is working closely with the Red Cross and in the event that residents need shelter, Killingworth Elementary School would be opened.

"Our highway department has cleared out catch basins and culverts and made sure that all generators and tree-clearing equipment [and other power tools] are in working order and ready for use," First Selectman Cathy Iino said by email.

Both Iino and McDougal urged residents to sign up for CTAlert, a system that notifies residents of emergencies through phones, computers and other devices.

In Middlefield, First Selectman Jon Brayshaw said he was concerned about lengthy power outages caused by the storm, and for good reason.

"One of the real problems you have when the electricity goes out, is you can't flush your toilet," he said. "That's one of the biggest problems you have in a town that relies on wells. If your well doesn't work, your toilet won't flush."

Brayshaw said he also worried about downed trees, especially around Lake Beseck.

"It has one way in and one way out. All you gotta do is drop a tree across the north end of Lake Beseck and you've got 800 people there all twiddling their thumbs, with no electricity, and no septic and no sewer and no water." 

Brayshaw said he planned to meet Friday with town officials, including Middlefield emergency management director Terry Parmelee.

The town will open Memorial School as a shelter if needed, he said.