Wednesday, March 17, 2010
100 Westporters might still be without power Thursday evening.
As the cleanup effort continues, nearly all town roads are passable and 57 utility crews are working to restore power as downed trees and wires are cleared from area roadways. The power was expected to return to all schools by Wednesday evening, according to CL&P officials. Bedford Middle School and Staples High School were still powerless at 4 p.m. Wednesday but that was expected to change soon after. Superintendent of Westport Public Schools Dr. Elliott Landon announced schools would reopen Thursday. "All buses will be running on or close to normal schedules," Landon said in a recorded message on the school's snow line (203-341-1766). He urged parents to use caution when bringing children to the bus stop as some areas might still be "…
41.139745
-73.347696
Westport Fire Department
515 Post Rd E
/articles/storm-recovery-progress-500-to-be-without-power-tonight-schools-reopen-thursday
60560
/locations/317258
Crews are still working on clearing downed trees and wires.
It's been four days since Saturday's severe storm that brought heavy winds and driving rain to Westport, which left trees toppled over homes and blocking roads, thousands without power and one fatality in town. The ever-evolving state of recovery is "moving slower than anticipated," First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said in a news conference Tuesday evening. It's "not for a lack of resources," Joseloff said. "The problem is this storm is like an onion. Once we open roads and peel a layer back, we get in and find out that it's bigger than anticipated. More trees are down. More wires are down that we were not aware of because we couldn't get to them." "So the issue is now, throwing the resources that we have at the problem and trying to …
41.139745
-73.347696
Westport Fire Department
515 Post Rd E
/articles/slow-but-steady-cleanup-continues
60560
/locations/316609
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Details from today's press conference with First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.
Westport continues to recover from Saturday's severe storm, with crews working around the clock to restore power and clear roads. At a 5 p.m. press conference today at the Westport Fire Headquarters, First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said schools will be closed Wednesday due to the continued emergency recovery effort and lack of power at Staples High School and Bedford Middle School. Schools have been closed since Monday. "We've experienced one fatality already as a result of the storm and we're doing everything we can to prevent another one," Joseloff said. "We don't want a school child stepping on a live wire. It's just not worth it."
41.139745
-73.347696
Westport Fire Department
515 Post Rd E
/articles/westport-schools-closed-for-third-day-as-town-recovers
60560
/locations/316077
"Too many people are still without power and too many questions are unanswered," the governor said Tuesday.
Governor M. Jodi Rell announced she has asked the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to examine the actions of the state's two largest electric utilities in regard to their initial response to Saturday's severe storm. The storm that brought driving rain and winds upwards of 65 mph to the region contributed to the deaths of at least three people — including a New Jersey woman who died in Westport Saturday — downed thousands of trees and tree limbs, snapped hundreds of utility poles and left nearly 100,000 Connecticut homes and businesses without power. As of Tuesday morning, more than 39,700 residents across the state were still without power. At noon, 4,508 Westporters were…
Crews are working to clear the safety hazards.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Westport Police Department reports about 26 roads are still affected by downed trees and wires. Capt. Sam Arciola of the Westport Police Department said he expects more roads to be cleared by this evening. Emergency officials are currently meeting to discuss the progress of the clean-up effort at the Emergency Operations Center. At this time, officials are hoping to reopen schools Thursday. An official announcement will be made later today. As of Wednesday morning, power was back on at Long Lots School but Staples High School and Bedford Middle School were still waiting for the lights to turn back on.
41.140344
-73.360007
Westport Police Department
50 Jesup Rd
/articles/55-roads-still-closed-to-traffic
60114
/locations/317051
Monday, March 15, 2010
Only hire contractors you trust or have a relationship with already.
In the wake of the weekend's wind and rain storm, the Westport Police Department cautions residents that door-to-door home repair fraud is prevalent in Connecticut. Phony contractors may be soliciting storm clean-up or repair jobs, the department said in a news release Monday afternoon. Often, the consumer of such services is victimized by paying more than they expected or by paying for inadequate or incomplete services. Residents who are approached by workers offering "help" with clean-up or repair are urged to review the following tips for hiring contractors to repair storm damage or any work: Residents are encouraged to: If you are approached at your home by a person claiming to be a contractor please obtain as much information as you …
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The injured occupants were transported to Norwalk Hospital.
A 39-year-old woman died Saturday night when a large pine tree fell on her late model Nissan Murano SUV on Park Lane in Westport. Three other vehicle passengers were also injured in the accident and taken to Norwalk Hospital for non life-threatening injuries. The passengers were able to get out of the car before emergency services arrived, however, the driver remained trapped in the car, according to a news release. The driver has been identified as Jennifer Thibault of Long Valley, N.J. She was visiting her sisters in Westport who were also in the car. Westport Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Gottfried said in the release that the tree caused extensive damage to the roof of the vehicle and firefighters had to use chain saws to remove large …
41.138517
-73.348183
/articles/tree-falls-on-vehicle-killing-one-and-injuring-three-occupants
/locations/314963
Friday, March 12, 2010
Beginning Monday, the public can view the reports for free and print them for a fee.
The Westport Police Department has now made most traffic accident reports available online. Beginning Monday, if you need a copy of an accident report, go to http://westportpdct.policereports.us . From the report search page, you will be able to look up reports and print them for a fee. A copy of the accident report is $5.00. You can pay for the reports through this secure site with a credit card or you may contact PoliceReports.us at 800-489-0190 to see if you qualify for a prepaid account. Paper copies of the accident reports can still be obtained at the Westport Police Department for 50 cents per page. The new online tool is a partnership between PoliceReports.us and the Westport Police Department. It is the also part of the …
41.140344
-73.360007
Westport Police Department
50 Jesup Rd
/articles/accident-reports-available-online
60114
/locations/306527
Coastal flooding is expected this weekend.
The Westport Fire Department has begun to prepare for the forecasted heavy rain, wind, and flooding in low-lying areas along the coast and in other flood-prone locations. Occasional rain was falling in the early afternoon with steadier rain forecasted to become wide spread over the region this evening and into Saturday. The rain is expected to become heavy at times late Saturday afternoon and into Saturday night. Rainfall totals are expected to be between 2 to 4 inches by Sunday Morning. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the tri-state area. Winds around 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 are possible with this storm. An easterly wind will cause higher than normal tides along the coast. Residents are urged to …
41.139745
-73.347696
Westport Fire Department
515 Post Rd E
/articles/westport-fire-department-prepares-for-the-storm
60560
/locations/306497
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Westport's Green Task Force adopts an alternative route to help finance the green initiatives it recommends to the town.
In my last column, I took a look at how the state budget crisis potentially impacts Connecticut's green future. At times, sustainability goes beyond the environment and is all about the monetary green – dollars and cents. Green initiatives are investments with short-, mid- and long-term returns. And while our town administrators have the best of intentions and have begun making investments in our future (when possible tapping state and federal funding), unfortunately all too often towns like Westport do not have the resources to fully commit to the sustainability investments we should be making. Last week, Westport's Green Task Force took a step forward in addressing this issue. On March 3, the task force adopted a resolution to …
David, Agreed. That was easy for me to write from my office in NY with power. Just need to get everyone back up on power for now. John more ›