7/8/2021 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass: Storm Preparedness

Good afternoon,

I wanted to reach out to everyone today to discuss the potential for damage from tropical storm Elsa tomorrow. It looks like the worst will be tomorrow morning with steady rain and wind gusts up to 45mph. I realize many of you are new to town. Well water, generators and septic systems may be new to many of you. Attached you will find a short power point on storm preparation and response. We have worked hard with the utilities to improve our communication and their responsiveness. There is also a summary report of findings and suggestions from the town’s response to last year’s storm on our website Storm Response and Preparation. 

To emphasize some major points:

1. If  you have a well, fill your bathtubs with water before the storm. Your well will not work if the power goes out.
2. If the power goes out we will provide water at town hall.
3. The Senior center will be opened if needed for shelter and/or cooling. Location 660 Morehouse rd. Showers are available at Joel Barlow High School.
4. Gas up your cars and generators now. Do not go out and drive around during or after the storm if there is major damage.
5. Stay away from downed wires.  Obey “Road Closed” signs
6. Do not refuel a generator while it is running, but check it for fuel and oil before the storm
7. Charge cell phones and chargers or batteries now as well as flashlights. There will be a charging station outside the police station (basement of Town Hall)

Internet and cable connectivity remains a problem. Optimum assures us that they can handle it but we remain skeptical.

This is what they tell us:
In the event our services are impacted, your constituents can sign up to receive service alerts via text or voice message by going to My Account. Once confirmed, these customers will be notified when outages affect their service and will receive timely updates until their service is restored. 

Customers may also utilize the options below to contact Optimum:

1. Message Optimum at optimum.net/chat 
2. Send Tweet to @Optimumhelp 
3. Call us at (866) 950-3278 

Please note that many of these resources, as well as storm preparation recommendations and frequently asked questions, are also available by visiting Optimum's Storm Prepareedness link. 

For power issues, our provider is the United Illuminating Co. To get on the cue for service restoration you must notify UI directly.

For emergency information we will contact you by reverse 911. Make sure you are signed up both for your land line and for your mobile phones as well. To sign up, go to the State of Connecticut's Emergency Alerting and Notifications Systems. 

You can call us directly at the numbers below:
Town Hall (203) 268-6291
Police (non-emergency) (203) 268-4111
Fire Department (203) 268-2833 

Of course, the first line of response is neighbors helping neighbors as long as it is done safely. We have truly awesome emergency services and public works here in Easton, and they are ready to assist. Use common sense and be safe!

Dave Bindelglass