Hurricane Sandy: City Ready for Up to 36 Hours of Heavy Wind [Includes Cancellations]

Editor's Note: Check back with Middletown Patch throughout the next several days for updates on Hurricane Sandy. Sign up now for our breaking newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Please share your photos, comments and videos with Middletown Patch at each of these locations. We will connect your important information with our readers.

Closings 

• The Middlesex YMCA has no fitness classes, no preschool, no child watch, no Kids Korner or snow day programming starting Monday. The facility will open at the normal time, but changes may take place based on weather and will be updated at 4 a.m. Monday. Call 860-347-6907 (press 6).
• St. Mary's School has closed Monday and Tuesday.
• The Middletown Elks 771 Children's Halloween Party is postponed to Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.
• The Middletown High School Haunted Boathouse has been canceled.

The superintendent has closed city schools and the mayor announced the opening of an emergency shelter in anticipation of a powerful, prolonged storm, with “tropical storm-level winds” hitting the city near midnight on Sunday.

Ahead of Hurricane Sandy’s potential effects, public schools are closed Monday and Tuesday, Mayor Dan Drew said in a press conference late Saturday at city hall council chambers. The shelter at the high school will open at noon on Monday, Drew said.

He urged residents to take the storm very seriously and begin to prepare now. "The citizens of Middletown can rest assured that we have prepared for the worst, are hoping for the best and if the worst materializes, we are ready," Drew said, for Hurricane Sandy.

Superintendent of Schools Patricia Charles, Police Sgt. Bill Porter, Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Darrell Ponzio, Deputy Emergency Management Director Angel Fernandez, Fire Marshal Al Santostefano, and community health coordinator Lou Carta joined the mayor.

“We are in constant communication with the state,” he said.

“As of right now, it appears that we’re going to be in one of the strongest wind paths of the storm and here in Middletown, we are expecting — more than any issues with rain or water — sustained, heavy winds for a period of up to 36 hours,” Drew said.

After speaking with CL&P, “there is an extremely strong possibility there will be significant and widespread power outages,” Drew said.

The mayor stressed the length of this storm — and its potential for danger to those gathered.

After conferring with state and local officials, Drew said, “we are expecting that by midnight Sunday, we’ll be starting to get tropical storm-force winds, with hurricane-level winds potentially coming in on Monday and turning back to tropical storm winds before dissipating some time late, late, late Tuesday or early Wednesday.”

Due to the potential size and duration of Hurricane Sandy, Drew said, cleanup of downed trees and power lines will be delayed until the storm ends.

“This one is going to go on for several days and what that’s going to do is essentially delay our response and our ability to get power back on in the event that it does go out. The storm is going to hit and hover and continue to hit for a little while before moving,” Drew said.

Originall, the city hall emergency operations center was set to open Monday morning. Now it will open Sunday at 5 p.m. At 8:30 a.m. Monday, Drew said,  every single department will have representatives staffing the center around the clock.

In a letter to parents and a Honeywell alert, Charles announced the school closing, Drew said, “so we can open the shelter and give parents a chance to plan for care of their children if they have to work still.”

Middletown High School will open Monday at noon as an emergency shelter. Citizens are urged to remember medications, personal care products, a pillow and blanket.

The city website will be constantly updated, alerts will be sent to the media, and the Middletown Emergency Management Facebook page updated. Residents may call 211 for shelter information. Middletown Area Transit heads have been in emergency planning meetings and city officials are ready to activate buses if needed.

Ponzio urged residents not to use generators inside or near open windows or doors, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the days to come, should Middletown Public Schools continue to be closed, there will be no transportation for out-of-town schools, after-school and evening activities. If the schools have a delayed opening, they will be opening 90 minutes later than normal and this includes transportation to schools out of town. 

When there is a 90-minute delay, there will be no morning preschool session and the afternoon preschool will be picked up at the normal time.  In the event of an early dismissal, there is no afternoon preschool.

For the most up-to-date information, turn to television and radio stations WTIC and WLIS/WMRD, the school district website and city website for updates.

All you need to know about the Middletown High School shelter

• Mayor Drew: City Shelter is on Standby if Hurricane Knocks Out Power

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