From the Town: Farmington Officials Prepare for Hurricane Sandy

Town of Farmington emergency personnel are taking the steps necessary to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, according to Town Manager Kathleen Eagen. While the storm is still far to the south and its ultimate direction is not clear, the Town’s Emergency Management Team is monitoring the storm track and is conducting prestorm planning of personnel and other resources.

Hurricane Sandy has the potential to be a large scale flooding event for Farmington. At this time preparations are being made for a large scale flooding event including Farmington Avenue (Route 4) becoming compromised. Preparations for a Town Shelter are underway. Final determination on a shelter location will be made on Monday when more accurate tracking of the storm is available.

“The most important step for our residents to take right now is to sign up with the Town’s Everbridge Citizen Alert Notification System and the State of Connecticut CTAlert,” said Town Manager Eagen. “We need to be able to communicate safety information to people when phone lines are down.” Residents are strongly encouraged to sign up for “Everbridge Citizen Alert Notifications” on the Town of Farmington’s website (www.farmington-ct.org) by clicking on the “Citizen Alert Notification Sign Up” icon on the home page. Residents should also go to www.CTAlert.gov and sign up for emergency notices. Cell phone notifications are strongly recommended if you have one – that is the most reliable way to get information.

The Town is urging Residents to make preliminary preparations for the storm, including fueling their cars with gasoline, purchasing water and having extra cash on hand. Have a flashlight and extra batteries on hand as well as a supply on nonperishable food. Additionally, residents are urged to have technology charged and cell phone chargers on hand. Please also check on your neighbors who might need assistance, check all basement sump pumps, and clear debris and leaves from catch basins near your home or business. If power does go out, please remember to shut off electric stove burners. Also, do not use kerosene or propane appliances including BBQ grills indoors due to the severe risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

In addition to signing up for Everbridge Citizen Alert notifications and CTAlert, residents are urged to have the following emergency numbers and websites on hand:

 Emergency (police, fire and ambulance): 911

 Routine Police andFire Department calls: (860) 675-2400

 Poison Control: (800) 222-1222

 Emergency Shelter Information: (860) 675-2400

 Power Outage: (800) 286-2000

 www.farmington-ct.org

Please sign up for the notifications and check the news and Town of Farmington webpage for updates as Hurricane Sandy approaches New England early next week.