Community Corner

Updated: Groton Prepared to Open Emergency Shelter In Event of Power Outages

Emergency Management Director Joe Sastre advises people to stay inside and wait out the storm.

Please scroll down for all cancellations, posted as we receive them.

3:30 p.m.

Groton is prepared to open an emergency shelter in the event of widespread power outages, but has not had to do that yet, said Joe Sastre, Groton’s director of the Office of Emergency Management.

Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He said conditions are not bad at the moment.

“We don’t expect them to be really bad until later on tonight,” he said. “But a little common sense needs to be shared by many, I think. If you don’t have to be out, don’t be out. And hopefully, people are prepared for when the power goes out.”

Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Sastre said there have been a couple of spin outs on Interstate 95, but no serious accidents in Groton.

He said his office has been in touch with the Red Cross and has moved items around so it can respond quickly if a shelter is needed. Connecticut Light & Power reported no outages in Groton as of 3:30 p.m.

Public transportation is also gradually coming to a stop as the storm progresses.

  • Regional bus services provided by SEATmade its last run today at 1 p.m. with plans to stop service on Friday at 2 p.m. Service is expect to resume on Saturday, Feb. 9 at noon, but that will depend on the weather. 
  • The 9 Town Transit ended all service at 2:30 p.m. today.  There will be no service on Saturday, Feb. 9. Service will resume a regular schedule on Monday, Feb. 11. 
  • CT TRANSIT bus service will begin shutting down service at 4 p.m. today, and all buses will stop running by 6 p.m.. This shut down will be in effect for the entire state until further notice.
  • Metro-North was adding extra trains to the schedule earlier today but will plan to scale back services beginning at what would normally be peak travel times this afternoon.
  • Bradley International Airport suspended all commercial airline traffic as of 1:30 p.m. Friday and flights are not expected to resume until mid-to-late morning on Saturday. The airport will remain open as long as airport personnel are not in danger. Passengers are encouraged to contact their specific airline for more details about the next scheduled flights. Phone lines are jammed right now, so the best way to get information about a flight is through the airline's website, Facebook or Twitter pages. 
  • New London's Cross Sound Ferry has suspended services due to high winds.

1:30 p.m.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy intends to declare a state of emergency due to the blizzard that is expected to wallop Connecticut Friday through Saturday, and is asking residents to limit non-essential travel during the storm. 

"People need to take this storm seriously," Malloy said in a statement. "If current predictions are accurate, we will need people to stay off the roads so that emergency personnel and utility crews can get to the places they need to get to, and to make sure that our plows can keep critical roadways clear. Please stay home once the weather gets bad except in the case of real emergency."

Per Malloy's office, a Declaration of Emergency provides the governor with a number of emergency powers, including:

  • The ability to modify or suspend any state statute, regulation, or requirement (for example: altering work hours, waiving licensing requirements, etc.)
  • The ability to order civil preparedness forces into action
  • The ability to designate vehicle and person routes and movements

Update at 1:00 p.m.

From Emergency Management Director Raymond Occhialini:

 “The governor said all state highways are ‘subject’ to close at 12 p.m. noon. In terms of the weather, they’re predicting 2 to 36 inches in Eastern CT with moderate snow at noon, heavy by 1 p.m. They’re saying sustained winds of 25 to 35 with gusts of 40; but by tonight, gusts of 60 MPH with 3 to 5 inches per hours of snowfall. Regional shelters not open until after storm, if needed at all for extended power outages.”

The National Weather Service is reporting the blizzard will bring with it sustained northeast winds of 29 to 33 mph with gusts up to 50 mph this afternoon, and 60 mph tonight. Snow accumulation for Groton is expected to be 3 to 7 inches today, and 10 to 16 inches tonight.

Groton town offices closed at 1 p.m. due to the storm.

Most businesses remained open, however.

The Noank Community Market planned to stay open until 5 p.m., but the kitchen closed at 1 p.m., said Nip Tanner, a volunteer at the store. The store will open at 9 a.m. Saturday, so if you need hot coffee or something to eat, stop in. The store has a generator, so it will open even if power goes out.

"We'll do as much as we can," Tanner said.

Original story:

With the blizzard beginning in Groton this morning, schools were closed and recreation programs canceled through the weekend, but some places remained open.

As of 10 a.m., Groton Public Library planned to keep its regular hours and remain open until 5:30 p.m.

Groton Police Chief Michael Crowley said as of 10 a.m., it was not bad on the roads, but it's early.

The following is a list of places closing early in Groton:

  • Town government offices closed at 1 p.m.
  • All Groton Town Recreation programs for today, Saturday and Sunday are canceled except for boys' basketball juniors and micros.
  • Groton Public Schools are closed and all school-related activites are canceled for today. Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School and Sacred Heart School in Groton are also closed.
  • The Groton Senior Center will remain open regular hours, until 4 p.m., but all classes and programs are canceled.
  • The University of Connecticut at Avery Point, Three Rivers Community College, Mitchell College, Connecticut College, The Lighthouse Voc-Ed Center in Groton and The Connecticut Center for Massage in Groton are closed.

This list will be updated throughout the day. If you know of additional closures, please add them to this story in the comments!


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