DoingItLocal

At a press conference held on Friday afternoon at the City’s state of the art Emergency Operations Center, Mayor Bill Finch and City officials urged all City residents to remain calm and prepare accordingly as Hurricane Irene bears down on Bridgeport and the rest of Connecticut this weekend. The storm is expected to hit the area late Saturday night into Sunday with high winds, the possibility of up to 10 inches of rain and flooding. Mayor Finch urged all residents living in low-lying areas to voluntarily evacuate to a relative or friend’s home on higher ground prior to the storm’s arrival.

“Residents in low-lying areas of the City – the South End, West End, Black Rock, East End and part of the East Side – can expect to see significant flooding due to high amounts of rain and the expected storm surge,” said Mayor Finch. “I urge everyone in these areas to please find somewhere else to stay for the next couple of days.”

City officials do not have the authority to order a mandatory evacuation that decision is made by the Office of the Governor. The City will open Bassick and Harding High Schools as shelters beginning at 12 noon Saturday.
Mayor Finch added, “Our city very rarely gets a direct hit from a massive storm, this is one of those very rare occasions. We cannot take this lightly. Certain roads will be closed and electricity may be out for a significant period of time.”

Forecasters expect Irene to be a low Category 2 Tropical Storm when it enters the region between 10 p.m. Saturday and midnight.

Mayor Finch reiterated the importance of staying informed. “Do not assume that everyone knows about the severity of the storm. Please knock on your neighbors’ doors. Call your friends and family and ensure that they are properly informed.”

Residents should stay alert to news reports on TV or radio and online, and/or information from the City on its website, www.bridgeportct.gov, Facebook and Twitter — @CityofBptCT for updates on the approaching storm.

Police Chief Joseph Gaudett advises all residents to stay indoors during the storm. “Our focus during the storm is human health and safety. Please stay off the roads during the storm.”

Charles Carroll, Director of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, announced that all City parks, including Seaside and Beardsley will be closed to the public at noon tomorrow. He added, “We’re emphasizing safety first, including with our Public Works crews.”

Fire Chief Brian Rooney reminds residents to avoid using candles. “With the anticipated loss of electricity, we’d like to remind everyone to have functioning flashlights ready and available. Do not use candles or other flames for lighting or heat.”

Pets are allowed at both shelters. Parking for shelters are available at the JFK Campus, 700 Palisade Avenue for those staying at Harding High School and at Park and North Avenues, the parking for the former grocery store location, for those staying at Bassick High School.

During the storm, the public can call the Emergency Operations Center at 203.579.3829 or 203.576.1311. If you have a medical emergency call 911.

The First Selectman Michael Tetreau, is declaring effective immediately, a STATE
OF EMERGENCY for the Town of Fairfield. The storm is extremely dangerous and
residents need to take it seriously. It is likely to have heavy rains and wind, followed
by flooding and prolonged power outages. Preparations should be made and plans
implemented by 4 pm, on Saturday August 28th.

The decision was made after consultation with the Emergency Management Team and
with the understanding of the inherent dangers associated with the impending storm.

In addition to the State of Emergency, the First Selectman has decided to close Town
facilities, effective starting Saturday August 27th at 8:00 am, all Parks, Ball Fields,
Beaches and Libraries will be closed.

Advisory to the Fairfield Beach area residents as well as residents who have experienced
flooding issues in the past.
Voluntary Evacuations are in effect immediately for all streets south of Edward Street.
Mandatory Evacuations start on Saturday August 27th at 12:00 noon.
Please be advised that utility power in this area may be cut off if required for safety.

Evacuees may report to the Roger Ludlow High School starting Saturday August 27th at
12 noon, where a shelter has been established. Residents are advised to bring with them
clothes, medicines and any paperwork or identification they deem necessary to protect.
The shelter will staff and is prepared to accept a separate area for pets.

Town Roads will allow limited travel only, starting Saturday August 27th at 4:00 pm.
Town has established Emergency phone lines for information please use 203 254-4899.
The hurricane is expected to impact the Town from Saturday August 27th at 4:00 pm,
through Sunday August 28th at 4:00 pm.

Additional note for residents: The Emergency Communication Center “911” should be
limited to true emergencies involving life threatening situations only. Do not call for
incidents involving utility interruptions or transportation issues during the storm and do
not call to report damage to personal property until Tuesday August 30th.

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State and LOCAL road conditions are posted in real time on the right side bar.

 

#Bridgpeport–North Bishop and Rosedale calls of fire turn out to be nothing, keeping Bridgeport Fire Department super busy. Twice they had 3 calls at one time.

2:41pm–#Bridgeport–#ctfire–Report of smoke coming from 38 Burnham Street residence.  Fire department needs to access from boat because of flooding in the area.

#Bridgeport #ctfire –Junior’s Jewelry Middle Street smoke showing from the building, fire department on scene.  UPDATE–Fire department requesting arson team

BRIDGEPORT, CT – Mayor Bill Finch today ordered all City residents to abide by an 8 p.m. curfew on Sunday evening in order to keep all residents safe while power is restored throughout the City.

1:50pm–#Bridgeport–Water rescue in Bridgeport at Iranistan and Washburn due to trapped on the street. University Blvd to Atlantic Street. People are trapped in the road and their buildings water is rising.

1:30pm–#Bridgeport–Black Rock Yacht Club 80 Grovers Road has been lifted up off it’s foundation and has to be condemned according to the fire department.

12:18am–Fairfield–Fairfield Fire reporting multiple homes and garages in danger of collapse on Shoreham Terrace. I’m 90% certain that is the street he gave, he wasn’t positive of addresses to give to dispatch.

2:28am–Easton Police just said they are running on generator power now.

1:52am–#Bridgeport–40 Hillside Ave Tree down and  has a down power line arching on the ground.

Around 1am last nightt Fairfield Marine/Fire and Coast Guard assisteda 700 foot long coal transport ship that was on fire.  Fairfield Fire is still on scene and expect to wrap up by noon today. Personnel found the ship moored approximately 4 miles off of Fairfield’s shore. Moderate smoke was visible from the cargo hold of the ship. All crew members were accounted for and the fire was contained to a single hold by closing all doors to isolate the fire compartment.

BRIDGEPORT, CT (August 25, 2011) – City officials are urging residents to begin taking precautions as Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane to threaten the East Coast of the United States in three years, makes its way through the Atlantic currently on course to hit Connecticut and Long Island Sound over the weekend.Mayor Finch urged residents to begin making preparations now in advance of the storm and not wait until Saturday or Sunday when high winds and heavy rain could make travel difficult.  Below are some tips for residents and business owners. More information is available on the City of Bridgeport’s Emergency Management webpage at www.bridgeportct.gov

 

• One gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• A three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• A whistle to signal for help
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

A guide to securing your boat during heavy seas by the experts at Dutch Warf . Dutch Warf is at 70 Maple Street in Branford and can be reached at dutchwharf.com/​ or phone them at (203) 488-9000.

 

A guide to securing your boat during heavy seas by the experts at Dutch Warf . Dutch Warf is at 70 Maple Street in Branford and can be reached at http://www.dutchwharf.com/ or phone them at (203) 488-9000.

Shortly after 1:30am Thursday morning a car crashed into 686 Westfield Ave waking the neighborhood.  Neighbors told me they heard a revving sound of a car and then a crash.  They also said that the car owner lives a couple houses away.  Seated in back of the police cruiser was the driver who appeared to be in his early twenties.  He was checked out by EMTs and released.  No word on any charges he may face.

A rally was held in Bridgeport at City Hall Annex where the Registrar of Voters for the city works.  Democratic Registrar of Voters Santa Ayala denied Mary Jane Foster’s name on the Democratic on a technicality that she had one too many nominees by Foster’s team of school board candidates and rejected the ballots.  Mary Jane Foster Team is seeking to overturn this decision in a lawsuit.

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9:38pm–Fairfield–Fire department quickly extinguishes a fire on a roof at 2 Lighthouse Point.

7:20pm–Easton–Report of semi-automatic weapon fire off North Park Avenue.  Patrol officer believes resident in the area has a range and is permitted to shoot.   Officer is investigating. 7:24 UPDATE–Officer says everything is valid and they will be shoot for awhile, let the complainant know.

 

7:07pm–Stratford–Report of a transformer fire on Shoreline and Third Avenue.

Fairfield Police are reporting that Elizabeth Lucas, the bicyclist struck by a truck  while riding at on Roland Road at Paulding Street has died from her injuries in the accident.

Washington area residents are used to politicians being the region’s movers and shakers, so it was a surprise when the earth below shook. The earthquake rattled windows and jostled dishes but apparently caused no serious damage. Read full report….

Earthquake Hits Areas of DC, Maryland and Virginia: MyFoxDC.com