The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Travel bans, school closures ahead
Region braces for massive storm
MIDDLETOWN >> Residents in cities and towns across the state are preparing for the worst as a late winter megastorm bears down on New England.
Mayor Dan Drew began posting information about the impending blizzard on his Facebook page at 11 a.m. He instituted a parking ban beginning at 10 p.m. Monday. He asked residents to exercise patience and act wisely during the duration of the expected blizzard.
“Please heed warnings about the parking ban,” he wrote on his page. “They’re done for safety and speed of cleanup. We don’t like to and we try to avoid it, but we will tow if necessary.
“In a blizzard, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with falling snow, which means it takes many hours after the snow stops until we can open up many roads. Please expect the delays. They will surely happen in blizzard conditions,” Drew wrote.
City crews — close to 50 vehicles — will be tasked with clearing 210 miles of roads, he said. Many public and private schools and colleges got a head start on storm preparation Monday afternoon by canceling classes.
In Middletown, motorists should remove their vehicles from city streets, as violators will be towed, according to a press release.
Off-street parking is available at municipal lots: Melilli Plaza,
Broad Street/Kidcity, Broad Street/Russell Library Arcade upper level, Kings Avenue lot, Green Street lot, Hubbard LL baseball field lot, Grand Street annex lot (Main Street) and the Grand Street Health Center lot.
Owners of towed vehicles will face tickets and towing charges, which must be paid before vehicles can be reclaimed. To reclaim a vehicle, call 860-638-4000.
The town of East Hampton also issued a parking ban in effect through Wednesday due to the forecast of significant snowfall. Residents are prohibited from parking on streets. Those who do so will be at risk of being towed.
In Durham, officials activated the storm line at 860-343-6735. All town offices will be closed on Tuesday, including Town Hall, the Durham Activity Center and Durham Public Library. Residents are asked to call Eversource about power outages at 800-2862000.
New Haven will enact a rare travel ban starting Tuesday to limit road travel and close its schools for the day, in anticipation of a snowstorm that has prompted similar emergency responses across Greater New Haven and from the state.
Connecticut and much of New England are bracing for a storm expected to dump up to 18 inches across the region, including up to 16 inches in New Haven. Gov. Dannel Malloy said during a winter storm briefing in Newington that he’s activating a state travel ban, which means state highways and roads will be closed starting at 5 a.m Tuesday. Malloy also declared a civil preparedness state of emergency ahead of Tuesday’s storm.
Malloy urged residents to stay off the roads unless their job requires driving. Malloy said there could be more than 20 inches of snow in parts of Connecticut, with up to 15 inches in the state’s southern region.
“We don’t want to get this kind of snow amount,” Malloy said. “At 6 inches potentially an hour, the threat to human life is significant.”
Both East Haven and West Haven have declared a snow emergency. Orange’s government offices will be closed Tuesday.
New Haven Deputy Emergency Operations Director Rick Fontana said during a meeting at the city’s Emergency Operations Center on Monday that the storm could dump between 12 and 16 inches of snow in the city. The storm is expected to start early Tuesday morning. The city’s travel ban will start at 7 a.m. Tuesday and prohibit travel on city roads for nonessential personnel as determined by employers. The ban will be lifted at the city’s discretion.
“We consider this storm to have a crippling impact on the city of New Haven,” Fontana said. “This storm will have severe impacts with high winds, cold temperatures, driving snow at 3 to 4 inches per hour.”