Update 4:30 p.m. Friday
Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said in a 3 p.m. announcement Friday that through the Emergency Operations Center’s coordinated efforts of the town and Eversource, all of New Canaan now is accessible by vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances.
“We still have approximately 100 roadways with known hazards,” Handler said. “Please do not move any barricades or caution tape. Currently 1,338 homes or 16 percent of town are without power. Eversource is now able to estimate that ‘substantially’ all power will be restored by 11 p.m. on Sunday.”
Here’s an interactive map that shows problem areas:
Original Article
New Canaan Public Schools will be closed Friday, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said, as New Canaan continues to deal with dozens of road closures and downed wires, with no firm timetable for restoration.
As of 9 p.m. Thursday, 16 percent of New Canaan homes were without power.
Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said in a 7 p.m. update from the Emergency Operations Center that “crews have been making progress make roads passable, but we still have a significant number of hazards.”
“We have eight areas of town that remain completely blocked off with no access in or out. Please do not move barricades or caution tape,” he said.
Handler said during a press briefing Thursday afternoon that 190 local roads were partially or fully closed due to trees and power lines that fell during and after the snowstorm that struck Wednesday. The figure represents about three-quarters of the total 265 roads in town, officials said. All downed power lines should be considered live and dangerous, Handler said.
“This storm is similar in severity to Storm Nemo years ago,” he said. The snow that fell through Wednesday was so “incredibly wet and heavy” that it damaged infrastructure, he said.
New Canaan Library is serving as a warming station and charging station, Handler said, as are Town Hall and most churches. Residents should reach out to churches directly, he said. The New Canaan YMCA, which has served as an emergency shelter during storms in the past and served as a place for residents to get a hot shower following the wind storms last weekend, had been power as of 2 p.m. Thursday, Handler said. However, in a 7 p.m. update, Handler said that the YMCA is open for shower facilities until 10 p.m. Thursday and will open Friday morning at 5:30 a.m.
Metro-North Railroad service on the New Canaan branch line is suspended but MNR officials have said it would resume some time Friday, Handler said.
Friday will be the third straight day that public schools are closed.
Handler said that New Canaan has two Eversource crews working in town and that the utility company is spread thin over several Fairfield County towns hit hard by the storm. The storm caused problems evenly throughout New Canaan, hitting the west and east parts of town with the same ferocity, he said.
Notable buildings that now have power include the schools, public and private, as well as the wastewater treatment plant, Silver Hill Hospital, Waveny Care Center and New Canaan Inn, Handler said.
No one has been seriously injured due to the storm, Handler said.
If you lose power, please report it to Eversource at (800) 286-2000.