VIDEO: Snowtober Refugees Flee To Eastern Connecticut

A rare snowstorm hit Connecticut Saturday afternoon, causing massive power outages that the utilities are still struggling to repair.

Damage is concentrated in the central and northern parts of the state, with some towns reporting 100 percent of homes and businesses without power.  The situation has caused hundreds of storm refugees to flee to Eastern Connecticut, jamming local hotels.

Nancie Keenan, general manager of the Groton Inn & Suites, said people started arriving at the Groton hotel on Sunday. By Monday, dozens were checking in.

 “I think the realization hit on Monday that things weren’t going to get good fast,” Keenan said.

The Inn is now booked, with about 80 people staying due to the storm. Some had called to say they were on their way but couldn’t find gasoline.

“They were lined up trying to find stations that had gas or had power so they could pump gas,” she said. “If they wanted to pay in cash, there were no ATM machines either that worked. . .They were calling saying they were coming, but stuck in lines trying to get out of their own town. Makes you wonder what they would do in an evacuation process.”

She said people arrived exhausted and cold, including a couple that showed up because she is sick with cancer and he has rheumatoid arthritis. Another couple is traveling back and forth to work in New York City and New Haven, Keenan said.

On Tuesday morning, the Hartford Convention Bureau distributed a letter to its member hotels asking if any had space left.  All but two were full, she said.

Calls are still coming in, and hotel staff were calling around Tuesday to see if there were open rooms elsewhere.

People fled to other hotels along the shoreline as well.

Nancy Thibodeau, of East Londmeadow, Mass. said she started driving around looking for an available hotel room in the tri-state area Monday and finally found one in Mystic and checked in Tuesday.

The Red Roof Inn in New London filled up quickly because it advertises to be pet friendly. Maintenance Engineer Gene Correll said that a majority of their 108 rooms are occupied by people, and their pets, in need of a warm place to stay. Carroll said the hotel is completely booked through Thursday.

Anita Miller, co-owner of Goldy's Restaurant, said Halloween is typically the slowest day of the year but the snowstorm created unexpected business.

"We had one waitress on preparing for the normal Halloween, but we got slammed all night long," she said.

Miller said more customers treated themselves to lobster dinners and dessert and the restaurant gave out candy to the kids for Halloween.