Community Corner

Portland Residents Being Served by Shelter

Storm notes for Portland and East Hampton.

The numbers without power improved in Portland, dropping to 2,132 customers by late Tuesday night. Great news for those who got their heat and hot water back, not good enough for the 46 percent still without.

As a result, Portland High School remained a hub of activity Tuesday evening for those in need. The shelter is providing, showers, water, coffee, a way to charge electronics, some snacks, a place to keep warm and even spend the night.

“We’re going day-by-day from what they’re telling us, said Bob Gardner, a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). ”We don’t know. The same with the CERT. We’re going to stay here until they tell us its over, there’s enough power back on that they don’t have enough need for this.”

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Public library personnel will be helping staff the shelter on Wednesday. The library has been closed because of the loss of power and for previously scheduled roof repairs.

For those wanting to use the shelter overnight, cots are provided. Residents are asked to bring their own toiletries and bedding. Residents also are asked to register by 9 p.m., but you won’t be turned away if you don’t.

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One father was having dinner with his two sons on Tuesday. The three had spent the previous night and were planning on staying the night again.

“Pretty comfy, warm and nice,” son Jonathan said.

Jonathan and his brother Jacob said sleeping wasn’t a problem and boredom not an issue. The gym is kept open till 8 p.m. and the boys brought a DVD player and DVDs to watch on the TV.

There were 14 who spent Monday night at the shelter.

“We opened the shelter to provide a warming shelter initially,” Fire Chief Robert Shea said. “We knew right away we’d have to get into a shelter situation. And we did. We were prepared for that.”

Shea estimates that about 200 people have come to the high school to shower.

“Right now, we’re doing pretty good,” he said. “As the services start to come back, we’ll see less and less here.”

Shea also wants to remind people that they can get potable water in the back lot at Company No. 2 Firehouse, 594 Main St.

It has been a tough year weather-wise in Portland. Roof collapses from the weight of snow over the winter, flooding from the rain on July 8, Tropical Storm Irene and now an October snow.

“It was a tough storm,” Shea said. “We prepared as best we could prior to it. We were OK for emergency response and public works was geared up to handle whatever they needed to do, but to be perfectly honest, we didn’t think it was going to be this devastating. Public works is making a huge headway in making roads that were impassable now passable for us.”

Shea has been in close contact with Connecticut Light & Power each day and is pleased with the cooperation the town has been getting, specifically public works.

“Without it, stuff doesn’t happen,” said Shea, who singled out the hard work by Public Works Director Rick Kelsey and his crew.

One of many concerns for Shea is carbon monoxide poisoning. With so many without power and the weather getting colder, especially at night, residents have to be smart. According to Shea, calls have started coming in, but no one has gotten ill.

“We haven’t had any CO-related incidents regarding people being ill,” said Shea, who had just returned from a call. “I can’t emphasize how critical it is to not use gas grills in your garage, in your home. People have to be very concerned about kerosene, the way it’s burning. If it burns clean, it’s safer but if it doesn’t burn clean, it’s not. They have to be careful.

“We’ve been lucky. What we’re doing is, we’re trying to tell people if you’re going to run a generator, make sure it is not near an open window … that it’s far enough away from the house. Don’t run it in the garage. [CO is] a very dangerous gas. You don’t know it’s there and before you know it, it makes you pretty ill. If you have an issue [with power being out] come to the shelter and we’ll take care of you.

East Hampton

Those without power in East Hampton dropped to 648 (10 percent) late Tuesday. School will be in session on Wednesday, but the town will open the high school for showers from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and reopen as a shelter from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

East Hampton residents is need of overnight shelter may use Portland High School. Bacon Academy, the Colchester shelter, is no longer open.


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