After Hurricane Devastation, East Haven Picks Itself Up

Battered, bruised, but unbowed, East Haven residents and public officials spent Monday cleaning up from Hurricane Irene.

East Haven received one of the worst beatings from the storm on Sunday, especially Cosey Beach Avenue along the shoreline where town officials condemned more than two dozen homes because of damage from the hurricane storm surge.

Some beach homes were literally reduced to piles of splintered wood with furniture mixed in. A few residents who tried to ride out the tempest said they hastily retreated inland around 11 a.m. Sunday, when the storm surge at the high tide caused the greatest destruction.

Bob Bishop said his brother decided to evacuate when he saw the house next door collapse.

Pascal Lombardi said he was convinced to leave when waves tore the deck and front wall off his house.

"I wasn’t ready for the devastation," said Sally Cammarano, who evacuated during the storm. She returned on Monday to find her son’s house condemned as unsafe for habitation.

Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Licata said almost every part of town was affected, and even a whole day after the storm ended there were significant power outages throughout East Haven.

But Licata said there was good news. There were no deaths or serious injuries and no one was reported missing, he said.

He said a state Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) team with specially trained search dogs was summoned to East Haven Sunday night to help search collapsed beach houses and debris piles for people who might be trapped or buried.

East Haven officials asked residents to be patient while they wait for power to be restored. United Illuminating must first check downed wires to make sure the power is off for safety reasons. Then UI will lead the extensive repair job, beginning with those locations that local emergency response officials designate as having the highest priority.

Licata said after restoring power to medical facilities, firehouses and other high priority locations, UI would then focus on restoring power for the highest number of customers.

Director of Administration & Management Paul Hongo Jr. said Mayor April Capone and Acting Police Chief Gaetano Nappi might ask the Town Council to impose a curfew on Cosey Beach Avenue as a precaution against looting. He said the Town Council already has a special meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in Town Hall.

Reports of looting Sunday night were unfounded, but the curfew would east residents’ concerns, Hongo said.

"The main thing is people want to get to their houses to see what’s left of them and retrieve personal belongings," he said.

Police planned to keep patrols on hand overnight at the storm-ravaged shoreline, and officers restricted access to most of Cosey Beach Avenue Monday to homeowners and their insurance company representatives.

Capone said school officials have decided to delay the first day of school in East Haven until Tuesday, Sept. 6, the day after Labor Day.

In the Foxon neighborhood in the north part of town, numerous locations were still bedeviled with fallen trees and downed wires blocking driveways and streets.

Officials said about 70 residents were put up at the town’s emergency shelter at East Haven High School from Saturday to Monday morning. Hongo said the shelter was closed late Monday morning and the Red Cross has taken over finding people emergency accommodations if needed.

Hongo said the strongest wind and rain from Hurricane Irene hit East Haven around 2 a.m. Sunday morning. The storm was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but it still had sufficient power to devastate many homes.

Officials said a few people had to be rescued by boat, including meteorologist Mel Goldstein, a resident of Morgan Point.

Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas B. Leonardi was on hand in East Haven to assess the needs of property owners with damage from the storm.

East Haven officials were also consulting with representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Connecticut National Guard, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s office and Gov. Dannel Malloy to get assistance for East Haven residents.

Download the movie