Town Prepares to be Rocked by Hurricane

In the emergency operations center at the Westport Fire Department, more than a dozen town and school officials coordinated their efforts the afternoon before Hurricane Earl's arrival.

Fairfield County appears to be on the edge of the hurricane's path, which would limit destruction, but the National Weather Service told town officials that there is a 106-mile margin of error in their calculations. The hurricane is expected to arrive Friday afternoon.

"I'm not sure how this is going to play out," said Fire Chief Christopher Ackley on Thursday. "I'm hoping for the best but expecting sort of the worst."

He said he had flashbacks of the March storm, which killed one person in Westport, downed hundreds of trees and left many residents without power for days, while preparing for this one.

Before the March storm struck, 40 mph winds were forecast, said Ackley. Winds during that storm went up to 65 mph. Forecasts for Hurricane Earl have been predicting 40 mph winds, which has him concerned.

Nancy Harris, assistant superintendent, said that the decision of whether to close school or not will be made at about 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

"If the conditions look like they will turn extreme, we want the children home," she said.

First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said, "Whatever we do, it will be done with the safety of the school children in mind."

After the March storm and another significant one in July, Joseloff and fire officials criticized the response time of Connecticut Light & Power. It was reported that the utility company's response was holding up recovery of the town.

This time, however, Joseloff said it appears that their level of preparedness has improved.

Chris Swann, of CL&P, said that there are a number of employees gearing up and preparing "very thoroughly, as we speak."

During the meeting, Ackley urged residents not to call emergency dispatchers with queries about the weather or what to do during a storm. He said that information should be obtained from local media.