THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“Inspiration is an empty bank account.”

— Mickey Spillane (1918-2006)

It’s nonstop, 24 hours a day. Work will continue until we get everyone back online.”

“We had what could have been a pretty serious call about 10:30 last night, and while the roads weren’t pristine, they were passable,” said Middletown Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Robert Kronenberger.

By morning, he said personnel were chasing some wires-down calls.

“I know we’re going to get more of those, it was just a good, heavy snow,” he said. “For the most part, it was a quiet night. For the weight of the snow, we came through pretty decently.”

Crystal Lake Road was the only one blocked overnight, which affected four people, he said.

“This is a wet and heavy snow. Please be careful driving in it and please be careful shoveling,” Middletown Mayor Dan Drew posted on his Facebook page Thursday morning. “It’ll take a while to clean fully because it’s so heavy.”

In a storm of this size, the city works to keep roads passable and then widen them after the storm’s end, Drew said.

“For those without power, we don’t have estimates from Eversource on when you’ll be back up,” Drew said. “Eversource stood down all crews last night as a safety precaution with the exception of 911s (like wires around trees). Please don’t approach or touch any wires if they’re down.”

The city’s parking ban was lifted at 5 p.m.

East Hampton is opening up a “comfort center” at the high school, 15 N. Maple St., from 1 to 7:30 p.m. for those residents without power.

“Eversource has evaluated all of the down wires and is in the process of removing trees and restoration,” Haddam First Selectwoman Lizz Milardo said in a release Thursday night. “We will assess in the morning the need to open a warming center. Residents that need power to recharge phones can visit the town hall from 8:30 to noon.

“Please be advised trees are still down in many areas and be careful driving, as some roads may still have one lane. At this time, there are five Eversource crews in Haddam and one crew in Haddam Neck.”

Area schools closed for a second day due to the snow, as did the Russell Library. Middlesex Community College delayed opening until 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets delayed its opening until noon Thursday.

“We have experienced extensive damage from the March 7 winter storm,” Durham First Selectman Laura Francis said in a release.

Region 13 schools, Town Hall, the library and activity center were closed Thursday.

“While significant progress has been made by Eversource and public works crews, approximately 500 customers are still without power,” she said in a 12:30 p.m. email. “However, crews are currently working in areas where a large amount of those customers can be restored.”

The following roads in Durham were closed because of power lines, communication lines or trees across the road: Bear Rock Road near Sycamore, Birch Mill Road near Time Out Tavern, Creamery Road and Indian Lane, Francis said.

“All other roads are passable, but please note, there may be only one lane open,” she said. “If your cable or phone lines are out, you need to contact those companies directly.”

Route 153 in Essex at Maras Hill Road reopened mid-afternoon after being closed since 11:20 p.m. Wednesday because of a toppled tree and wires blocking the roadway.

During the course of the storm, State Police responded to 1,526 calls for assistance, which included 166 accidents with no injuries and six others with injuries, no fatalities, and helped 565 motorists in distress.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday all state offices would have a one-hour delayed opening due to inclement weather conditions. Nonessential, first-shift employees are reporting to work one hour from their normal reporting time, he said.

“As the clean-up from yesterday’s winter storm continues, we feel that it’s best to delay the opening of state offices in order to allow crews a little extra time to plow the roads and parking lots,” Malloy said in a release. “We encourage everyone to exercise extreme caution while driving.

“We especially want to thank our hardworking state and local plow crews who have been working throughout the night to clear the roads across our state, as well as state and local emergency personnel and firstresponders.”

For power outages and downed wires, call Eversource at 800-286-2000.