State of Emergency in Hamden; High School Will Provide Shelter

As of noon on Saturday, the town will be under a state of emergency until further notice under Mayor Scott Jackson's declaration Friday.

The town's Emergency Management Team has developed an action plan for Hurricane Irene, forecast to hit Sunday, Jackson said. 

The town's Fire, Police and Public Works departments will have extra manpower standing by as the storm hits the state, predicted to happen late Saturday night and lasting until Sunday afternoon, and for the clean-up that could last for days.

Emergency Shelter Will Be Opened at Hamden High School, 2040 Dixwell Ave.:

Preparations are underway at Hamden High School, which has an emergency power generator, for a temporary emergency shelter. The shelter will opened at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 and will be operated by Hamden’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in coordination with the Hamden Fire Department.

Those who go to the shelter are asked to bring basic supplies including a change of clothes, basic toiletries, any necessary medications and non-perishable food items. Cots, blankets and pillows will be provided.

Cats and dogs are welcome but residents are strongly encouraged to bring a cage or carrier and must provide their own pet food and any medications. 

The shelter will be accessed from the northern side of the building closest to the Hamden Plaza through either set of doors, and residents will be asked to register upon entry.

Actions the Town Has Taken:

The following are actions that the Town has taken to prepare for this event:

•  The town has been working with local and state officials to best prepare for the event and prepare a communication plan to get the best information to our residents in the fastest way possible.
• All personnel have been put “on-call” in preparation for the emergency.
• Central Communications has been assigned with additional personnel and additional supervisors to properly handle the call volume expected and dispatch personnel.
• The Police and Fire Departments have been reviewing their emergency plan;
• All Town generators, vehicles and tools have been tested and fueled;
• Public Works crews have been out clearing potential trouble spots in preparation for the storm, to assist in water flow, but possible heavy flooding is expected in low-lying areas. Barriers have been placed in areas of town where there have been areas of concern in the past.
• Public Works crews have tackled a priority list of tree removals and branch trimming in advance of the storm.
• Back-up plans have been established for additional shelter locations if needed;

 Trees

Hamden residents are urged to be aware of the potential for downed trees due to expected high winds. Priority will be given to clearing of main roadways for emergency vehicle travel.  

Calls will be prioritized utilizing a triage approach, elevating the most critical situations to first priority. Should a tree come down on your property which poses a serious threat to your home, has hit a power line or is blocking a roadway, please call 911 and the call will be dispatched accordingly.

Information Flow:

Hamden is prepared to use all approaches to get information to residents related to the weather event.  The Town of Hamden's website at www.hamden.com will be updated regularly for preparedness information and links the “Town of Hamden” Facebook page will be updated throughout the event – people can find this by typing Town of Hamden in the Facebook search bar. 

 Twitter reports will be issues throughout the event and residents can follow the Town of Hamden on twitter at @townofhamden