From Mayor Bill Finch:
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano visited Bridgeport and cities throughout Connecticut to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established a Disaster Recovery Center in Bridgeport at Housatonic Community College, 900 Lafayette Boulevard (residents should enter the State Street entrance of the college).
The Disaster Recovery Center is open:
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers go to www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers
Residents seeking federal assistance must register with FEMA. Call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or register online, disasterassistance.gov
According to United Illuminating, as of 6 p.m. there are 23,000 Bridgeport customers without electricity. On Thursday, UI announced that they “expect to have 95 percent of all customers restored with power before midnight, Monday, November 5.”
Mayor Bill Finch advises residents and motorists to be mindful of crews working to clear the streets of debris and trees from wires.
While the power remains out in several parts of the City, public safety remains the highest priority. Mayor Finch advises residents to use extreme caution while driving through intersections, as many of the traffic lights are not functioning. Many of the intersections have temporary stop signs.
All Bridgeport Public Library locations are open. All locations may be used as charging stations. For more information, go to bportlibrary.org.
Schools Update: All Bridgeport Public Schools will be open tomorrow morning, November 2, with the exception of the following which have yet to have power restored:
· CESAR BATALLA SCHOOL
· BRYANT SCHOOL
· HIGH HORIZONS SCHOOL
· MULTICULTURAL SCHOOL
· DISCOVERY SCHOOL
· HALLEN SCHOOL
· MADISON SCHOOL
· ROOSEVELT SCHOOL
· BLACKHAM SCHOOL
· CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
· CROSS SCHOOL
· READ SCHOOL
For more information go to bridgeportedu.net/docs/HomePage/2012-2013/BPSAlert_SchoolStatusForNov2.pdf
· The City’s Mass Care Shelter at Cesar Batalla School remains open.
The City of Bridgeport’s Transfer Station is now open and will stay open two extra hours each day, until further notice.
Updated Transfer Station hours:
Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (until Nov. 10)
Trash/recycling pickup remains on a delayed schedule. Crews will be on their regular Thursday pickup, on Friday morning.
Governor Dannel Malloy signed an executive order to extend the deadline to make quarterly tax payments. The October installment due by November 1 has been extended to November 15, 2012.
In the event of power outages, Fire Chief Brian Rooney asks residents to practice caution:
Be prepared with working flashlights, and an extra supply of batteries in your home
Never touch downed power lines. It is safe to assume that all fallen lines are live electric wires. If you see a downed power line, report it immediately to the Emergency Operations Center at 203.579.3829, or call United Illuminating at 1-800.722.5584.
Do not operate generators indoors
Do not use gas stoves to provide heat
Do not operate grills indoors
For storm-related incidents call the Emergency Operations Center at 203.579.3829
To report a power outage call 1-800-7-CALLUI.
For emergencies call 911
Finch should be thrown out of office. There was NO info available to city residents. Residents regardless of language when asking for where to go for radio info were directed to Spanish language station Radio Cumbre by City Hall Greeter Johanna Dorgan. Westport had a dedicated station broadcasting disaster info … that a city of this size doesn’t have that but has an illegally appointed part-time school super with doubtful credentials making $250K a year is criminal. VOTE NO on the Charter revision question.
*** WCUM for Spanish speaking and WICC for English speaking. Afterwards when WICC went down, WEBE 101 took over with lots of Southern CT weather info! And there you have it, BRG! ***