Saturday, 8 a.m. — TheRidgefieldPress.com now offers an animated storm tracker. Click on the link at the top of the right-hand column on the home page.
Friday, 5 p.m. — The Halloween Walk will be held Saturday but the streets — especially Main Street — WILL NOT BE CLOSED, due to concern that people need to make preparations for the upcoming storm and therefore need access to all roads. Parents should accompany all students of elementary school age and younger. There will be crossing guards at the crosswalks to assist.
Friday, 3:30 p.m. — Here is the latest Hurricane Sandy preparedness statement from first selectman’s office, dated
Preparations are under way for the expected landfall of Hurricane Sandy. First Selectman Rudy Marconi continues to meet with CL&P representatives and the entire Emergency Preparedness team to monitor the situation to ensure an appropriate response to this storm. CL&P has confirmed 2000 line and 700 tree crews will be arriving in state by Sunday.
Taking a lesson from previous storms, CL&P’s focus will be “boots on the ground” expecting to “hit the ground running.”
As of Friday, October 26th at 3 p.m. there is an 80% chance that Sandy will impact our area and if that expectation continues, our first Everbridge message will be on Sunday at 3 p.m. At this time, the best thing for residents to do is to prepare their homes, gather supplies (enough for five days) and prepare to shelter in place.
Schools Superintendent Deborah Lowe will make any decision involving school closings, if necessary, and once we have that information, we will immediately notify all residents via all media media sources.
The Halloween Walk will take place as planned from 10 am To 12 pm on Saturday, October 27; however, due to an expected increase in traffic, Main Street will remain open to vehicular traffic. Parents must accompany their children and use crosswalks where crossing guards will assist.
The Tax Collector’s Office will be open on Saturday, October 27th and Sunday, October 28th from 9 am to 12 pm to accept second quarter tax payments. Remember, the last day to pay taxes is November 1. If you have any questions about your taxes, please call (203) 431-2779.
The Ridgefield Emergency Operations Team reminds residents to:
Make sure you have the following supplies…
~a portable, battery-operated or hand-crank radio so that you can monitor local radio
stations (WLAD-800AM, WREF-850AM, WCBS-880AM, WDAQ-98.3FM, WRKI-95.1FM)
~flashlights with fresh batteries. Use of candles is not recommended for safety reasons.
~extra batteries to last for several days. There may be no electricity after the storm.
~a full tank of gasoline in your automobile. Never let your vehicle gas tank be less than half full during a hurricane or tropical storm threat. Gas stations may not have power during the storm.
~canned goods and non-perishable foods—enough for three days. Store packaged foods which can be prepared without cooking and need no refrigeration.
~refill needed prescription medications.
~drinking water—enough for five days.
In addition, secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors. Bring pets indoors. Precautionary actions should begin immediately whenever a warning is issued.
If you have a cell phone, confirm that you will receive Town emergency Everbridge notices by logging onto www.ctalert.gov or call (860) 920-3337 and update your profile information.
Plan ahead where your family will meet in an emergency and talk about how you will communicate, particularly if internet, phone and cell service are unavailable. Learn how to shut off the gas and water in your homes and how to use equipment such as generators safely.
For more information on how to plan for an emergency, go to www.ready.gov or download the free Red Cross App.
