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Governor Announces Travel Ban Ahead Of Approaching Blizzard

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Governor Dannel P. Malloy made his first public statements concerning a blizzard that is approaching Connecticut during a 15-minute press conference Monday morning from the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Hartford. All residents across Connecticut should be prepared for heavy snow, accompanied by high winds and coastal flooding all possible, he said. The storm “has to potential to be the largest winter storm we’ve seen since 2013, and that was the February one.”

That storm, called Nemo, had seven of Connecticut’s eight counties reporting record-breaking levels of snow. Newtown residents saw between 17 and 36 inches of snow, and that was before gusts began to build drifts that were even deeper. CL&P customers in town were lucky in that very few lost power due to the 24-hour storm, but nearly 35,000 households across the state did lose power.

Snow has already begun falling in Newtown at a moderate rate. The pace is expected to increase soon, however. The National Weather Service (NWS) is watching an as-yet-unnamed nor’easter (which some outlets are already referring to as Juno, however) that is expected to bring snowfall of one to three feet or more to many parts of the Northeast through the evening of Tuesday, January 27. At 11 am Monday, a Blizzard Warning stretched from just north of Atlantic City, N.J., across all of Long Island and parts of New York State, the entire state of Connecticut, and continued up the coast to include parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

Initially announced yesterday to take effect at 7 pm Monday, the warning that covers Newtown is now going into effect at 1 pm. It will remain in place until at least midnight January 28.

The governor repeatedly urged state residents to have a safe place to be during this storm, and to be there no later than 8 pm tonight.

“Stay in place for the duration of the storm,” he said. Forecasters are calling for the snow to be intermittent until late afternoon Monday, he said, but it will intensify by “this evening and become very heavy by midnight.” Snowfall, he said, could be as heavy as four inches per hour, and winds up to 60 miles per hour along the coast.

The governor has signed, he said, a declaration of Civil Preparedness Emergency, which will allow better coordination of resources as the storm develops. The governor has also signed a travel ban, which will go into effect at 9 pm Monday and remain in place for the duration of the storm. Gov Malloy said he is already in touch with neighboring states to coordinate travel bans, but “are taking the step of announcing this closing in advance.”?

Predicted accumulations range from 22 to 32 inches of snow across the state. Snow drifts may create depths of four feet, he said.

For Newtown, periods of snow are expected this afternoon, along with a northeast wind of 14-16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent, with a total daytime accumulation of one to two inches, according to the weather service. Snow with “widespread blowing snow” which could be “heavy at times [and] some thunders s also possible,” according to NWS. Wind chill values between 0 and 10 are predicted for Monday’s overnight, as are blustery winds moving 18-24 mph and gusts up to 38 mph.

New snow accumulation for Monday’s overnight hours of 8-12 inches is possible, the weather services says.

The widespread blowing snow will continue on Tuesday, and “could be heavy at times,” said NWS. Thunder tomorrow is again possible. Temperatures will rise to about 22 degrees during the day, but blustery winds of 18-23 mph will make it feel like 0 to 5 degrees; gusts as high as 37 mph are also possible.

New snow accumulation of 7-11 inches is possible, says the weather service.

State Preparation

In the capitol, the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is also monitoring the storm “very closely,” Gov Malloy said Monday morning, “and coordinating the state response. They are participating in National Weather Service conference calls to get the latest information on the storm track, and will continue to send out regular updates to towns and cities.”

The governor is also working in community with local and municipal public works departments to assist with clearing of secondary roads. Even with that amount of manpower, Gov Malloy said it is going to take time to clear away all of the snow that is expected.

“While we have crews working around the clock, any time you have blizzard conditions and have several feet of snow, it will take time to clear all roads for safe travel,” he said. “Please be patient and allow the crews to do their work.

The state’s entire fleet of more than 600 crews will be active, he said. The National Guard and US Coast Guard are repositioning around the state, “ready to assist if needed,” Gov Malloy said.

Metro North will have extra trains running today, and will decide what to do about tomorrow’s schedule later today. There will be no CT Transit service after 8 pm Monday. The governor will announce when that service is to resume.

“We believe this will be of long duration,” the governor repeated. “I encourage everyone to please get off the roads as early as possible. Do not plan on traveling from Monday evening through the duration of the storm.”

Gov Malloy also reminded residents to take care of not only themselves but also friends and neighbors. Stock up on medical supplies including oxygen as soon as possible, and make sure generators and heaters are in working order, he urged.

“But do not bring generators indoors, even into a garage,” he said. “We don’t want people to die as a result” of the buildup of the emissions from those machines, he said.

The state is working in coordination with CL&P and UI, both of which have enlisted out of stage crews for anticipated outages.

“Outside help is coming in for both utility companies, some coming from as far away as Ontario and other areas that are not being affected by this storm,” said Gov Malloy. Tree crews and power restoration crews are both expected.

Both utilities are treating the impending storm as a Level 1 occurrence, the governor said.

The governor expects to be putting Severe Cold Weather Protocols into effect soon, he said. Meanwhile, a number of communities have already been urged to make sure they find those who are homeless or will need shelter, to make sure everyone has a safe place to stay.

“It’s important to know that if you are without power, you’re going to be without power for a matter of time, likely a matter of days,” Gov Malloy said. Call 211 for additional assistance, he said.

Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra on Monday urged all residents to make sure to sign up for Code Red and News & Announcements through the Town of Newtown website at www.newtown-ct.gov.

“Code Red and News and Announcements are the two major communication pathways for all local alerts,” Mrs Llodra said.

(A statement concerning Newtown from Mrs Llodra, crafted with other town leaders, is expected shortly.) 

While reiterating that he believes the blizzard approaching Connecticut is “a potentially dangerous storm,” Gov Malloy also turned to the resiliency of the state and its residents. “We have been down this road before, and every time we have met this difficult challenge. We will get through this storm together.

“Be safe,” he said, “and have a plan to look out for yourself and your neighbors.”

Governor Dannel P. Malloy met with members of the state's emergency response teams at the state Emergency Operations Center prior to briefing residents on an approaching blizzard Monday morning. 
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