Irene Good Night!

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It’s late Sunday afternoon and I finally found internet access after losing power. Give us a report. What’s going on out there? Was Irene as nasty as advertised? Did we dodge a bullet? I’d rather see Irene in my dreams, no? Who recorded that song anyway? From Mayor Finch:

Hurricane Irene Update:

Mayor Finch Orders 8 p.m. Curfew; UI Substations Taken Offline; Power Out in Most of Downtown Bridgeport Area

Mayor Bill Finch today ordered all City residents to abide by an 8 p.m. curfew on Sunday evening in order to keep all residents safe while power is restored throughout the City.

“We want to make sure everyone is safe, especially while the power is out,” said Mayor Finch. “It’s all about safety. We’ve gotten through the hurricane without any major problems, and we ask everyone to cooperate to maintain order.”

The City has requested and will be receiving mutual aid to ensure there are enough security personnel on the streets to help enforce the curfew.

City of Bridgeport and United Illuminating officials are working together closely to determine how long power will be out in the City, especially in the downtown and East Side areas, where power is off due to two substations being taken off line due to flooding concerns.

“We are working diligently with UI to understand the extent of the problem and how long our customers will be affected,” said Mayor Bill Finch.

UI officials made the decision to shut down the substations at about 11:45 a.m.

The Emergency Operations Center, Police and Fire Headquarters and City Hall were able to switch to backup generator power.

“We ask people in the affected areas to stay calm, and stay indoors if at all possible,” said Mayor Bill Finch.

As of 1 p.m. the storm had dropped 6.5 inches of rainfall on the City. The rising tidal waters caused the intermittent closure of the Stratford Avenue Bridgeport. The Wordin Avenue I-95 Southbound exit ramp also was closed due to flooding. Low lying areas throughout the City are experience flooding due to the unusually high tide.

As of 1 p.m., there are 35,243 UI customers without power in the City; there are 137,000 UI customers statewide.

There are 700 residents housed in the City’s two shelters at Bassick and Central High Schools. A hot dinner will be delivered to shelters evacuees later today.

As of 12 noon, there were 45 trees down and 14 wires down throughout the City; two trees fell on houses in the Black Rock section causing significant damage. City public works crews are out clearing intersections of downed trees, and setting up portable STOP signs at major intersections where power has knocked out traffic signals.

The City’s 311 (203.576.1311) line went down due to problems with AT&T lines. Residents can call 203.579.3829 for questions or concerns related to the hurricane. For emergencies, residents should always call 911.

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9 comments

  2. The evacuation of the South End of Bridgeport was essential. At 8am this morning the streets were passable. By 11:15am the Long Island sound made its way north on Broad Street all the way to the railroad. There is seaweed in front of Shiloh Baptist church across from the ferry parking lot. City officials are to be commended on their efforts to get people out of harm’s way. The Singer Substation was deliberately shut off at 11:00am as the high tide flooded the area. It was off for four hours which caused many communities and the Downtown, East Side and East End to lose power. If UI hadn’t done that the entire region would have been put into darkness for a very long time. There is still lots of water in the streets and basements in the South End. There is another high tide tonight. But the important thing is nobody lost their life. What is more important than that?

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    1. Evacuation is good in theory and it makes certain politicians seem like real leaders but when my cellar is flooding and my home is at risk, I don’t need the City to come by and tell me to leave. Most people in the South End are glad they did not leave. The others followed orders.

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  4. The traffic lights and street lamps in Black Rock are out. El Mismo Primo, a bodega next to the Subway sandwich shop, is open for business, conducting transactions by flashlight. Most of the power has been restored, from what I’ve heard. Went out for a pack of smokes around ten o’clock this morning. Matty’s Corner was the only business open and Danny Roach was doing a snappy trade. A few other saloons are open for business. Several restaurants are open at this hour, including Ereket, the Turkish joint. The streets of Black Rock are littered with green leaves, as if Treebeard and the rest of the Ents had a gang fight. Several houses in the Fairfield Beach area collapsed from the elements. A tree fell on a Lake Avenue house, causing significant damage.

    We all must give thanks no one was killed or seriously injured. Property damage can always be repaired.

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  6. Hey Kid, most of Black Rock especially south of Fairfield Ave doesn’t have power as of 8:30 this morning. There are also a handful of working stoplights; Courtland Ave, Ellsworth and closer to 95. Haven’t seen one UI truck in the Rock at all.

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