Rocky Hill Prepares for Hurricane Irene

As crews prepared the town for the impending storm, municipal and public safety officials advised residents to stay off the roads and wait out Hurricane Irene. 

“The last thing we want to do is have people on the roads during the storm,” Town Manager Barbara Gilbert said. “People need to be very cautious and stay home.”

Officials met Thursday to devise a strategy for dealing with the potential disaster from Hurricane Irene.  Officials are approaching Hurricane Irene as if were a “blizzard.”

“We have not see this before in Connecticut,” Gilbert said. “But, we really have.”

Officials will meet again later today and Saturday afternoon.  Following their Saturday meeting, a reverse 911 phone call will be sent out to all residents informing them how to prepare and deal with the storm.

Anyone can call the main number, 860-258-2700, or check the town website for updates.

“Everything is pretty much in place,” Gilbert said. “We have taken the necessary measures.”

Parks and Recreation Department and Public Works employees spent Friday taking down flags, removing benches from the parks and tying down garage bins. 

"We are making sure all the parks are secure," Lisa Zerio, Parks and Recreation Department director, said. 

People will be allowed to rent the town parks Friday and Saturday for picnics and parties. However, no one is allowed to rent the parks on Sunday, Zerio said. There are no major events planned this weekend, she added. 

“There is no good timing for storm,” Zerio said.

The highway trucks have been positioned next to each of the . The trucks will be used to remove debris from the roadways for the fire apparatus, Gilbert said.  However, if the winds exceed 40 mph, the town will not put people at risk.

“I cannot endanger life,” Gilbert said. Firefighters, police and ambulances will respond to emergencies, no matter what.

Gilbert is anticipating downed power lines and tree branches along with wide spread power outages, which could last for days. Flooding is not expected to be a “major threat,” but flooding could occur near the Meadows and the Berlin town line, Gilbert stated. Residents should expect flooded roads and basements, Gilbert added. 

Gilbert advised residents to stock up on supplies and prepare their homes for the impending storm. Homeowners should bring in lawn decorations and grills, fill up their gas tanks, have your cellphones fully charged and take valuable items out of their basement.

The parking lot at Stop and Shop Supermarket was filled with cars. Sam Campbell and his mom, Lena, were stocking up on supplies like food, cigarettes, and logs, but they were not worried about the storm.

“We could care less,” Sam Campbell said.

The emergency shelters will be the Town Hall and fire companies two and three. However, Gilbert and the fire marshal will determine when the shelters will be opened.  And if necessary, the schools will be used to feed residents, but Gilbert does not anticipate needing to use the schools.

At the end of the day, Gilbert signed an emergency declaration.