Updated: as of 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2011
General: On Tuesday, the Town of Avon declared a State of Local Disaster Emergency. Safety is our paramount concern and opening roadways for public safety vehicles remains our top priority. Power lines and trees remain down throughout the Town. Downed lines may be energized and residents are advised to stay clear of them. Residents are strongly urged to exercise the utmost caution around downed and sagging power lines.
Roadways: National Guardsmen are assisting CL&P and Public Works to open the roadways listed below to emergency vehicles. If you are aware of a road that is inaccessible and is not listed below, please call Police Dispatch at 860-409-4200. Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to open these roads to emergency vehicles.
Roads requiring CL&P line crews to make accessible to emergency vehicles:
- Bayberry Hill Road
- Pine Hill Road
- Red Mountain Lane
- Thompson Road
- Wright Drive
To date, the priority has been to simply clear roads for passage of emergency vehicles (width and height of a fire truck). Starting today, Public Works began to divert limited crews to start clearing trees from major roadways that do not impede emergency vehicles, but do impede general vehicular travel. Please be patient as this process progresses.
Power Restoration: CL&P continues to report that power will be restored to 99% of Avon customers by midnight on Sunday, November 6th. The Town is hopeful that this turns out to be true. We are being told that there are 30 CL&P crews in Avon today and that there will be 40 in Town on Sunday (up from 12 on Friday). Based on information this morning from CL&P, it appears that power has been restored to neighborhoods along the length of Huckleberry Hill Road, along West Avon Road between Route 44 and Scoville, and along Route 44. By the end of the day, CL&P hopes to restore power to all of Lovely Street, including the western half of Farmington Woods. Four major circuits serving the Town sustained significant damage in the storm and are the focus of CL&P
restoration efforts.
In anticipation of power restoration, residents are encouraged to (1) unplug all appliances and electronic equipment that were on before the power went out to avoid a power surge, should one occur, (2) clear all stove tops in case a burner was accidentally left on, and (3) if basement flooding occurred, call a licensed technician to check the motors on furnaces, freezers or other appliances before attempting to run them.
The Town’s top restoration priority remains West Avon Road, where several convalescent homes remain without power. After that, CL&P will focus on restoring neighborhoods where the largest number of customers can be restored at once. If you have not already reported power outage at your residence, you should do so by calling CL&P at 1-800-286-2000.
If wires of other service providers, such as AT&T or Comcast, were damaged in the storm, you will need to contact those providers directly before service can be restored.
CL&P Scam Alert: The Town has been informed that CL&P has hired electricians to repair electrical service on homes at no cost, including the weather head, conduit, and meters. This is a change from previous guidance. We have received reports that individuals are approaching homes and falsely claiming to work for CL&P. Please be advised that all CL&P staff carry proper identification and any contractor approved by CL&P will be accompanied by a CL&P staff person with proper identification. No CL&P worker will need to enter you home for any reason!
Shelter: The shelter located at Avon High School (510 West Avon Road) will remain open until further notice. The phone number is 860-404-4747. Food, showers, charging stations, and overnight accommodations are available. Nurses are also onsite to provide general medical advice. Residents are advised to bring all necessary medications, toiletries (including towels), blankets and personal items.
Police Update: The Avon Police Department reminds residents to report suspicious activity immediately. Please call the routine number 860-409-4200 or 911 in an emergency. If you are concerned about the status of a friend, family member or neighbor, please check in on them or contact Police Dispatch at 860-409-4200 and an officer will go to their residence.
Charging Stations: ~The Duracell Battery Corporation has set up a charging station in the parking lot of WalMart, located at 255 West Main Street. ~This station has lockable recharging stations so that residents can leave items to charge in the locker while running errands. The charging station also provides free WiFi, a limited number of computer stations and satellite TV. ~These services are being provided free of charge.
Packaged Meals and Water Distribution: Packaged meals and water are available for pick up at the Public Works Facility, located at 11 Arch Road. Residents will be able to pick up two meals per person per day and one case of water per day (water available to residents not on public water) between the hours of noon and 4:00 p.m. today.
In addition, potable water is available to residents at any of the four Fire Companies (between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) as well as from the Avon Water Company main office (24 hours) located at 14 West Main Street. Residents should bring their own containers; a self service outside faucet is available 24 hours per day during this time. The faucet is located in front of the office near the hatchway door.
Landfill: The Landfill is open today from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All residents will be permitted to dispose of spoiled food or other household refuse that poses a potential health risk. Storm debris will be accepted from permit holders only. Regular brush rates will apply.
Storm Debris: The Town recognizes that storm debris will fast become the top priority to residents as power restoration continues to progress. At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, an emergency meeting of the Town Council and Board of Finance was convened to discuss the storm recovery status and, specifically, debris management. At the meeting, the Town Council asked Town staff to immediately issue an emergency request for proposals for FEMA qualified debris management companies. The two boards will reconvene next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. to consider options. In the meantime, residents may continue to place storm debris curbside. More information will be shared regarding debris removal as soon as it becomes available.
We have been advised that Dunning Sand and Gravel, located at 105 Brickyard Road in Farmington, is accepting chipped and delivered storm debris free of charge at their facility. Their phone number is 860.677.1616.
Trails: At this time, the Town has not been able to assess the damage or accessibility of Avon bicycle/running trails.~ Residents are advised to avoid using trails until further notice.
Schools: The following school updates have been provided by Gary Mala, Superintendent of Schools:
- Avon Public Schools are closed until at least Monday (11/7).
- All athletic games and practices have been postponed through Sunday (11/6).
- The first marking period will be extended to a date to be determined.
- Parent teacher conferences scheduled for next Thursday (11/9) and Friday (11/10) will be rescheduled. These days are now scheduled to be full school days.
- Next Tuesday (11/8) will be a regular school day if power has been restored.
- Please direct schools related questions to the Board of Education at 860.404.4700.
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