Officials Urge Residents to Evacuate Flood-Prone Areas

Mayor April Capone and other East Haven officials urged residents to evacuate early from low-lying shoreline areas of town in preparation for Hurricane Irene, which is expected to hit the Connecticut shoreline Saturday.

Any resident who has experienced inland or shoreline flooding before should expect it from this storm, Capone said.

She said forecasts predict that wind and rain from Hurricane Irene will match or exceed the effects from Hurricane Gloria, which caused widespread power outages and property damage when it hit the Connecticut shore in 1985.

General emergency preparedness information can be obtained online from the East Haven town website or from the Connecticut state web site.

The main concern for East Haven officials is whether fallen trees or street flooding may block the town’s evacuation routes.

That is why Capone said she urged residents in flood-prone areas to give themselves plenty of time to take refuge inland.

Some residents appear to be taking heed of that advice. Joanne Spino of Cosey Beach Road, a shoreline area resident, said she plans to move in with friends inland during the hurricane.

"We’re leaving. I’ve been through it before," said Spino, who was leaving Stop and Shop with a gallon of milk and a supply of bottled water. "You’ve got to go."

States all along the Eastern Seaboard are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, which was reported to be at Category 2 strength earlier today and may reach Category 3, capable of widespread destruction, by the time it makes landfall in North Carolina.

The town will offer emergency shelter for residents at East Haven High School. Limited emergency shelter is also offered at the high school for pets, said Capone.

However, she said East Haven residents should consider leaving the area and staying overnight with friends or relatives inland or out of the area affected by the hurricane if possible.

Anyone bringing a pet to the emergency shelter would be responsible for providing a crate or carrier and food for the animal, she added.

"If we call for an evacuation, and that will come from the mayor, you want to make sure you don’t wait until the last minute," said Fire Chief Douglas Jackson, who is also the town’s Emergency Management Director.

Jackson and Capone will direct the town’s emergency response from East Haven’s Emergency Response Command Center at Fire Department Headquarters on Main Street.

Capone said residents should also expect to lose power because of the hurricane, and there is no guarantee that it would be restored quickly.

Officials said residents should make sure they have enough food, water, supplies of medicines they are taking, batteries for radios and other necessities to get them through up to three or four days of no electric power at home.

Flooding from the Farm River and other streams and creeks may occur, as well as the wind-driven storm surge along the shoreline that is often the most destructive force in a hurricane.

The hurricane will hit Connecticut during the new phase of the moon, which will raise tides an extra foot. That means the storm surge during the period of high tide may potentially be severe.

High tides during the hurricane are scheduled to occur around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Jackson said the strongest winds from the hurricane are expected at daybreak Sunday.

Capone said the Fire Department, Police Department and Department of Public Works have been fully mobilized to respond to the hurricane.

Chief Jackson said he and other East Haven emergency responders were updating the town’s emergency response plan earlier this month before Hurricane Irene appeared on anyone’s weather radar.

"We done as much as we could do to prepare for this," Jackson said.

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