Schools

New Canaan Schools To Open Wednesday with 90-Minute Delay [UPDATE]

Town officials emphasize safety over timeliness as 1,000 CL&P customers in town remain without power.

Update 8:53 pm

will resume classes Wednesday morning at 9 am.

Update 7:05pm

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The office of emergency management reports that New Canaan Public Schools will open tomorrow, Wednesday, on a 90-minute delayed basis. 1,000 homes are still without power.

Significant progress has been made, but there are still some areas in town where potentially hazardous conditions exist, and may exist for some time. Everything is being done to minimize those conditions but the Town on New Canaan would like your help in ensuring the safety of our children.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Parents are strongly advised to either accompany their children to bus stops or drive their children to school. Under no circumstances should anyone be walking through neighbors’ yards. Parents and students should not be overly concerned about arriving on time, as students will not be penalized for being late.

In addition, homework will not be assigned on Wednesday and Thursday nights due to the challenges presented by the lack of power in town. All after-school activities will resume as normal but, again, parents are advised to pick children up and not allow them to walk home. Please be patient tomorrow —the Town is concerned with getting all children to school safely -- and not necessarily on time. Please call the EOC at (203) 594-4100 with any questions or concerns

Update 3:05pm

After making significant progress overnight, power restoration has slowed down over the last few hours. 20% of New Canaan residents are still without power

New Canaan's Office of Emergency Management recommends that all trees and branches need to be removed from lines by professional crews and all lines repaired before circuits can be charged. DPW and CL&P are working hard to remove trees and debris and get your homes back online.

The New Canaan Library remains open until 10pm tonight as warming station and for charging/WiFi. Residents can use the YMCA for showers, recharging and WiFi until 10pm as well. The Outback Teen Center is hosting free dinner prepared by the Apple Cart tonight, 5-7pm

Update 1:35pm

The number of power outages in New Canaan is down to just over 1,700 homes. CL&P estimates that the town will have 100% restoration by Friday at 6pm.

New Canaan's Office of Emergency Management says that the town will be serving dinner to residents from 5pm-7pm at the Outback Center.

Update 10:22am

According to CL&P, less than 1,900 homes in New Canaan remain without power. New Canaan's Office of Emergency Management reports that Jeliff Mill and North Wilton Roads remain closed due to downed trees, power lines, and telephone poles.

Power restoration remains their top priority and crews will be working in the following areas: West Road at Oenoke Ridge, Michigan Road at North Wilton, and Jelliff Mill Road. The office of emergency management estimates that these areas will bring up approximately 500 homes back on-line

There are still  hundreds of wires down and trees leaning on wires—all are live and dangerous. A decision on school opening will be made later this evening.

Lunch will be served today at the High School from noon to 2’oclock. The Library will continue to serve as a warming shelter providing charging and WiFi until 10 pm. The YMCA continues to be open for showers and water is available at the Fire Department. As always, if you have any concerns please call the EOC at (203) 594-4100.

 

 

 

 

Update 8:27am

According to CL&P, New Canaan should have 100% power restoration by this Friday at 6:00pm. 22% of its customers in town are still without power, but that is down from 50% on Sunday evening.

Update Tuesday 7:00am

CL&P crews have been working around the clock to restore power and have been making significant progress. The number of people in New Canaan without power in New Canaan hit a high of 50% (4,701) on Sunday evening and has dropped to 22% (1911) as of 7:00am today.

Update 8:57pm

The number of residents in New Canaan without power continues to drop at a rapid rate. CL&P reports that 1,911 (22%)  of its customers in town don't have electricity. That is down from 4,701 on Sunday evening.

 

Update 7:00pm

The office of emergency management reports that in the last 24 hours 1800 residents have had their power restored. The number of residents without power has dropped from 50% to 27% over that time.

The town will be providing complimentary lunch to residents on Tuesday at the high school from noon to 2pm.

Update 4:05pm

CL&P is reporting the number of customers without power in New Canaan has dropped from 4,701(50%) on Sunday evening to 3,007 (35%) as of 3:45pm on Monday.

Update 3:25pm

CL&P requests that all electric (portable) generators wired into your home, that have not been installed by a licensed electrician be turned off. Generators that have extension cords are acceptable if they are only plugged into specific piece(s) of equipment and not wired into the home (i.e. fridge, septic pump). If your generator was not installed by a licensed electrician and is wired into your home, you can cause backfeed and injure workers when they are restoring the lines

Update 2:00pm

CL&P reports slow but steady progress in their efforts to restore power to New Canaan customers who had it knocked out during the storm.

The number of customers without power has dropped to 3,578 from 4,701 on Sunday night. The office of emergency management says that it's targeting Rt.123, Upper Elm Street, Heritage Hill and Jeliff Mill first because the circuits in those locations carry more than 1,000 homes.

Update 11:15am

The office of emergency management has defined the areas with the highest priorities around New Canaan for power restoration. Their initial focus will be on the following areas: Rt. 123, Upper Elm Street, Heritage Hill and Jelliff Mill. These circuits alone carry over 1000 homes. Extensive damage does not allow for a concrete estimate on when restoration will be 100%.

Road safety remains a serious concern. As a result, all public schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday and all activities cancelled. As for Halloween, the OEM states, "We are extremely concerned about the hundreds of downed wires" and as a result are rescheduling town-wide trick-or-treating to Saturday, November 5th. Halloween activities will still be held today from 2 – 4pm at Town Hall and the Outback Teen Center.

The Lapham Community Center remains open as a shelter. The YMCA is open for showers and the Library is open for charging and WiFi. Water is available at the Fire Department. Please exercise caution when using generators; we are experiencing increased call volume involving high levels of carbon monoxide. Further updates will be made as information becomes available. Please continue to call the EOC at (203) 594-4100 with any concerns. 

Update 10:15

After the weekend storm knocked down hundreds of trees and left thousands without power, the department of public works and highway department are working round the clock.

Crews from the department of public works and highway department have been working around the clock to clear streets of debris so CL&P can work to restore power. As of 10:15, CL&P said that 4,068 or 48% of their customers in New Canaan are without electricity. The utility company says people should stay away from power lines and assume they are live.

Update 7:45am

CL&P reports the number of outages went down in New Canaan from 4,071 to 4,062 overnight. The utility company says it's not ready to give estimates on when power will be restored in each town. CL&P states that out of state crews are on way to help and warns that improperly installed generators can backfeed their systems causing danger to customers and crews.

 

Update 7 p.m.

As nearly half of New Canaan—49 percent of CL&P customers, a total of 4,107—continued without power Sunday evening, First Selectman Jeb Walker in an auto-message from the town Emergency Operations Center said "I have no idea when we are going to get power back up."

Walker said CL&P and state officials have described the damage as "far more" severe than that wrought by Tropical Storm Irene.

"We are making restoration of power to homes our number one priority," Walker said.

"This was quite a surprise to all of us, I think, to have this amount of damage," he continued.

Walker called the storm "ridiculous" and said schools will remain closed "until it's safe to have the kids going back ot school."

Stay on Patch for updates.

[Editor's Note: In his message, Walker also urged residents not to Trick-or-Treat, saying the roads presented dangerous travel conditions, and reiterated part of an earlier EOC update that the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce will hand out candy from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at Town Hall.]

Update 3:30 p.m.

Planet Fitness is offering use of its shower and locker room facilities to residents who need them in the wake of the historic snowstorm. A complete list of the company's gyms in Connecticut can be found here.

Locations in Fairfield County include:

  • Shelton (two locations, and )
  • Stamford ( and )

Update 1:25 p.m.

New Canaan Public Schools will be closed on Monday and all afternoon activities are cancelled.

Damage is "much more extensive than anticipated," according to a message from New Canaan's Office of Emergency Management. About 170 roads have been impacted.

Officials are advising town families not to Trick-or-Treat. Rather, the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce will hand out candy from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at Town Hall.

Update 1 p.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said through his Twitter feed that he’s asked President Obama to declare a federal emergency in Connecticut.

Currently, more than 820,000 utility customers in the state are without power, including more than 800,000 from Connecticut Light & Power. CL&P has no new updates since Tweeting four hours ago that outages could last one week.

The CEO of United Illuminating—whose Fairfield County towns include Easton, Fairfield, Shelton and Trumbull—said customers should have power restored Monday.

Stay on your local Patch for school closing and delay information as it becomes available, and be sure to create a user account to post comments on this article or upload your photos and videos by clicking the “Submit Your Photos” button.

Here’s a snapshot of outages in our towns at 1 p.m.:

Town

% Customers

Saturday

 

 

 

Sunday

 

 

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

12 a.m.

9 a.m.

1 p.m.

Darien

10

26

41

47

37

27

26

26

Easton

0

16

20

22

38

29

42

46

Fairfield

2

3

4

4

4

5

14

14

Greenwich

5

12

13

14

15

18

18

17

New Canaan

8

22

24

38

39

42

42

43

Norwalk

15

17

17

18

18

20

22

19

Redding

1

9

13

96

80

100

100

100

Ridgefield

4

8

9

15

18

67

100

100

Shelton

12

19

25

28

23

18

11

8

Stamford

3

4

8

8

15

8

17

8

Trumbull

0

1

5

5

6

18

25

11

Weston

10

58

68

75

75

61

80

80

Westport

14

28

31

32

34

19

21

22

Wilton

10

37

50

56

56

55

68

66

Update 12:55 p.m. Sunday

Press release from CL&P:

Damage assessment efforts have begun following a rare October nor'easter that sent trees and branches crashing down on electrical wires and equipment across the state. All of the 149 cities and towns served by Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) were affected by the storm. Nearly 770,000 CL&P customers were without power earlier this morning, surpassing the peak number of outages caused by Tropical Storm Irene two months ago. more.

For updates, text the word outage and your zip code to 24612

Helping Neighbors from New York

Twelve people from a South Salem, NY group home have been evacuated from their residence will be sheltered in New Canaan. Jim Cole told Patch the eight residents and four staff members are being moved to afternoon. He said it is the first time New York residents have been evacuated to a shelter in CT. He also said New Canaan is the only town in southern Fairfield County that has opened a shelter.

Update 10:40 a.m. Sunday

  • campus is closed.
  • The Drama Department's production of "Almost Maine" has been posponed to Monday night at 7:30 p.m. at the high school. 

Update 9:45 a.m. Sunday

In what Gov. Dannel Malloy has called the largest number of outages in Connecticut history at a single time—some 790,000 statewide—New Canaan held at 42 percent of CL&P customers out of power overnight.

See the full outage table below.

According to the town's EOC:

  • Power may be out for one week
  • Town Hall is open as a shelter
  • YMCA is open for showers
  • Library is open for charging and WiFi acces

The Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parways are to reopen at 11 a.m. today, Malloy said through his Twitter feed.

Said CL&P in its own Twitter feed: "Unprecedented damage from this storm. Please prepare for worst case scenario - a week or more without power. Call 211 for shelter info."

The New Canaan Office of Emergency Management on Sunday morning posted this announcement on its Facebook page: "Good Morning, this is Mike Handler with a 9:30 am update from the Emergency Operations Center.  42% or just over 3500 residential customers are currently without power.  Highway crews have been out since daybreak clearing roads.  Preliminary CL&P estimate for statewide restoration is more than 7 days.  At this time CL&P cannot give us a reliable estimate for New Canaan restoration.  CL&P damage assessment teams are in the field and there are currently 5 line crews working with our Highway Department and tree crews making roads safe.  This means making the roads passable for emergency vehicles.  All downed wires are live.  Given the cold temperatures our priority is to restore residential power.  A shelter has been opened at and will remain open as long as needed.  The and the .  If you need any assistance or have any questions please call the EOC at (203) 594-4100.  We will have additional updates later today.  Thank you."

Metro-North Railroad says service has been restored on the New Haven line, though rail commuters in towns such as Redding need to make alternative plans:

  • Hudson Line, New Haven Line & New Canaan Branch: Regular train service has been restored.
  • Harlem Line: Upper Harlem Line service remains suspended from North White Plains to Wassaic due to downed trees. Regular train service has been restored from North White Plains to Grand Central.
  • Danbury & Waterbury Branches: Bus service is in effect on both branches. Train service remains suspended due to downed trees at several locations and local power outages. On the Danbury Branch buses will bypass Redding Station. Redding customers should use Branchville or Bethel Stations

 

Town % Customers Saturday


Sunday
3 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 12 a.m. 9 a.m. Darien 10 26 41 47 37 27 26 Easton 0 16 20 22 38 29 42 Fairfield 2 3 4 4 4 5 14 Greenwich 5 12 13 14 15 18 18 New Canaan 8 22 24 38 39 42 42 Norwalk 15 17 17 18 18 20 22 Redding 1 9 13 96 80 100 100 Ridgefield 4 8 9 15 18 67 100 Shelton 12 19 25 28 23 18 11 Stamford 3 4 8 8 15 8 17 Trumbull 0 1 5 5 6 18 25 Weston 10 58 68 75 75 61 80 Westport 14 28 31 32 34 19 21 Wilton 10 37 50 56 56 55 68

Stay on Patch for updates.

Update 12 a.m. Sunday

Powerless homes in New Canaan rose to 18 percent of CL&P customers, as , which is forecasted to continue through Sunday morning.

According to a 9:46 p.m. Saturday update from the National Weather Service, the historic October snowstorm is expected to wind down by about 6 a.m. Sunday, leaving accumulations of six inches to a foot.

“Widespread tree damage and power outages will continue,” according to the NWS. “Travel will continue to be hazardous.”

As Saturday becomes Sunday, MTA is reporting:

New Haven Line: Trains are operating with delays of  60 to 90 minutes due to weather-related signal problems.

New Canaan & Danbury Branches: Service remains suspended due to downed trees at several locations and slippery rail conditions.

Below, you’ll find an outage map that tracks outages, as a percentage of the utility (Connecticut Light & Power or United Illuminating) in the given town.

In New Canaan, all sports and the annual Halloween parade both have been canceled, according to the town Office of Emergency Management Facebook page.

Town

% Customers

 

 

 

 

 

3 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

12 a.m.

Darien

10

26

41

47

37

27

Easton

0

16

20

22

38

29

Fairfield

2

3

4

4

4

5

Greenwich

5

12

13

14

15

18

New Canaan

8

22

24

38

39

42

Norwalk

15

17

17

18

18

20

Redding

1

9

13

96

80

100

Ridgefield

4

8

9

15

18

67

Shelton

12

19

25

28

23

18

Stamford

3

4

8

8

15

8

Trumbull

0

1

5

5

6

18

Weston

10

58

68

75

75

61

Westport

14

28

31

32

34

19

Wilton

10

37

50

56

56

55

Patch will have more details as they emerge Sunday.

 

Update 5:45 p.m.

New Canaan has opened an emergency shelter at .

This message just arrived via email from the Office of Emergency Management:

Good evening, this is Emergency Management Director Michael Handler. At 2 pm this afternoon we activated the New Canaan Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the Town’s response. We currently have 3,000 customers without power and 70 roads affected by trees and/or wires. The Governor has ordered the Merritt Parkway closed to all vehicles and road conditions continue to worsen. We have opened a shelter in Town Hall as we do not anticipate power restoration this evening and temperatures are expected to be in the 20s. Residents are advised to remain indoors unless they are seeking shelter. If you have any questions or concerns please call the EOC at (203) 594-4100 and reserve 911 for life-threatening emergencies. You can also reach us on Facebook at newcanaanoem.com. We will have additional updates as information becomes available.

Update 5 p.m.

See updated outage table below. MTA reports delays on the New Haven line with service on the New Canaan and Danbury branches suspended.

According to residents' comments posted on the Office of Emergency Management Facebook page, the following streets are without power:

  • Riverbank Court
  • Logan Road
  • Sunset Hill Road
  • Woodridge Drive
  • Heritage Hill Road
  • Parade Hill Road

Original Story

Nearly one-quarter of New Canaan is without power, as trees and branches are causing road hazards, accidents and sporadic power outages throughout Fairfield County Saturday.

A winter storm warning and coastal flood advisory is in effect through much of the region as a slushy storm that coincides with relatively high winds and tides arrived even more quickly than forecasters had predicted. The National Weather Service now is calling for as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow as temperatures drop into the 30s.

In New Canaan, the library closed at 4 p.m. today, according to reports. Some 1,800-plus CL&P customers are without power, nearly triple the number from just one hour earlier (see table below). As noted, near on  Pine Street—are coming in. The town's Emergency Operations Center is open. If residents need help they should call 203-594-4100.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Add your New Canaan snow and storm photos to this article by clicking the "Submit Your Photos" button above.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Drawing from the Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating websites, here’s a snapshot of outage reports throughout our towns on Saturday:

 

Town % Customers 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. Darien 10 26 41 47 Easton 0 16 20 22 Fairfield 2 3 4 4 Greenwich 5 12 13 14 New Canaan 8 22 24 38 Norwalk 15 17 17 18 Redding 1 9 13 96 Ridgefield 4 8 9 15 Shelton 12 19 25 28 Stamford 3 4 8 8 Trumbull 0 1 5 5 Weston 10 58 68 75 Westport 14 28 31 32 Wilton 10 37 50 56

Metro-North has . At this time the rail service reporting “Good Service” on the New Haven line and New Canaan  and Danbury branches.

CL&P has issued .


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here