http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Chion/RR5QJ6_c.mp3
State emergency officials are actively preparing for Irene’s arrival. The hurricane is predicted to hit Connecticut late Sunday afternoon in Stamford. But the timing and location could change. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.
Peter Boynton, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, says Irene is currently on track to hit the state as a Category 1 Hurricane, with winds up to 95 miles per hour.
(To hear a show about the storm and advanced theories about disaster prep, click here.)
“I’d like to remind folks that although hurricanes are unpredictable this storm does have the potential to impact Connecticut. All of the computer models are unusually close in agreement and therefore we have to be prepared.”
Boynton is asking the public to prepare what he calls a “kit” with enough nonperishable food for three days, cash, prescription drugs, and a full tank of gas. He says this storm could be slow moving and linger, exposing the state to more rain and wind.
“This is a very large storm. We expect the storm to cover the entire state and a really good portion of southern New England.”
Boynton is asking people to stay informed. And to figure out whether they’d go to friends, family or a municipal shelter in case evacuation is needed.
There are no plans for evacuating people right now. And evacuations would not include the entire state or even an entire town.
“ It would be only from low lying coastal areas and only the low-lying streams and rivers that are susceptible to flooding.”
Governor Malloy is encouraging people to sign up for a state wide alert system that would send email or text messages in case there is an emergency.
