From Friday night onward, there has been a constant flow of information regarding Hurricane Irene. And that’s probably an understatement.
Give the volume of information that has flown through Naugatuck Patch over the past 24 hours, we will list all of the major incidents and updates here in bullet form. With a storm that has had this much impact on the news, we believe this is the best way to do the coverage justice.
- With the storm passed, Connecticut Light & Power is working "" to get power restored to 750,000 customers throughout the state. In Naugatuck alone, 40 percent of customers are without electricity. Mayor Robert Mezzo said a and they are working clearing debris, downed wires and other obstructions from the roads. It could take a few days, , for power to be completely back online for all residents.
- Lt. Robert Harrison, Naugatuck police spokesman, said the two biggest incidents that occurred during the storm were the flooding of Rubber Avenue and the Maple Street bridge closing down due to the surging Naugatuck River. The bridge, a main access point into the downtown, was closed off due to the waters, .
- There were no arrests made due to the storm, Harrison said.
- There were no injuries or major medical calls due to the storm, however one person did suffer a heart attack, Harrison said. It’s unclear whether that was storm-related, Harrison said. The man was conscious and breathing when he was rushed to the hospital.
- Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson said five of Naugatuck schools are without power due to the storm: , and elementary schools, as well as and chools.
- Harrison reported earlier Sunday that flooded. It's unclear the extent of the damage, however he said an embankment behind the school played a part in the flooding.
- The entire school district, , will remain closed Monday. This means no kindergarten orientation and no first day of work for borough teachers. Tindall-Gibson said the district will try to open Tuesday “but that’s contingent on the progress CL&P makes” in restoring power.
- As of Sunday evening, the first day of classes for students is still Wednesday, Aug. 31, and that has not been pushed back. Tindall-Gibson told Patch “we will make a decision on that tomorrow” whether to push the date back.
- A large tree came down and crushed four cars on Fern Street. See Naugatuck Patch’s .
- Fulling Mill Brook flooded, as did the bases of Maple Hill, Horton Hill Road and Candee Road, Harrison said. There were also several reports of basement flooding and other areas of flooding such as High Street.
- Naugatuck firefighters responded to for a report of a fire. As it turned out, a wire fell and caught fire and, after responders put it out, the wires were sectioned off. The fire did not make it to the building itself.
- Earlier on Sunday, Naugatuck Patch posted an update on its Facebook Page about a woman and her children being stuck on Rubber Avenue in the flooded water. The police department later corrected this report, telling Patch the individuals were two women in their 20s. They were reportedly trying to get to a car that was parked on the road and attempted to drive through the water, which at one point was 24 inches deep, police said.
- There were numerous reports of downed wires throughout the borough, however there were also several reports of downed wires burning. Some major incidents, Harrison noted, were on Salem Street, Platts Mill Road, Millville Avenue, Field Street, Allerton Road and Fern Street.
- Naugatuck dealt with all emergency calls through an Emergency Operations Center at the . Police, firefighters, Public Works, the mayor’s office and the Naugatuck Emergency Management commission all were stationed there. The purpose of this was to have a “unified command” by having all aspects of emergency response in one room, said Deputy Police Chief Joshua Bernegger.
- “We take situations as they arrive collectively,” he said.
- Naugatuck did not operate a shelter during the storm. Rather, there was a “Place of refuge,” which was . Residents that were evacuated, such as those at 83 Prospect St., were brought to City Hill, Bernegger said.
- Breen Field took on water during the storm and experienced some flooding.
- Equipment from Brunalli Construction Co. was also damaged in the flooding. The equipment was stationed under the Salem Bridge, where Brunalli has been working for the better part of a year.
- Mayor Robert Mezzo said his blog (www.bobmezzo.com) is currently unavailable. He has been sending updates in regards to the storm via Naugatuck Patch and his own Facebook page. Many questions regarding the storm have been addressed at both locations.
For any other questions regarding the storm, please contact Naugatuck Patch at ronald.derosa@patch.com.
