Ledyard Prepares For Hurricane Sandy

It looks like Hurricane Sandy, which at the least should bring some heavy winds and heavy rains, is coming to town sometime Monday. Here is a comprehensive list of what Ledyard is doing (for now), what you should do and the forecast for the next few days:

The Forecast: The storm could bring winds up to 40 mph, and could last up to 36 hours, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy. Malloy said expect possibly 7 inches of rain from the storm.

Specifics: Accuweather.com reports that although rain is expected Sunday, the storm should really hit Southeastern Connecticut Monday. On Monday, expect winds between 30 and 41 mph and heavy rainfall, according to accuweather.com.

Tuesday should be rainy as well, with winds between 20 and 49 mph, and then the rain should turn into a drizzle Tuesday night and on Wednesday, there is a slight chance of rain during the day and a high chance of rain at night, with wind gusts between 11 and 20 mph, and then the storm should end.

Accuweather is predicting a storm surge of up to 5 to 10 feet, with widespread power outages and property damage a strong possibility.

Town’s Take: Mayoral Assistant Mark Bancroft said the town is doing some preparations for the storm, although they won’t get a firm grasp on how bad it will be until probably Monday afternoon.

On Friday, Patch saw public works cleaning out gutters and Town Council Chairman Linda Davis asked residents to adopt a storm drain.

Bancroft said town officials and departments will meet again Sunday at 1 p.m. to make more preparations for the coming storm.

What You Should Do: State officials are encouraging people to clear their yard by Monday of possible projectiles, such as toys or tiki torches or anything that could easily be blown around.

They also encouraged people to have phone numbers for important contacts written down (with no power, cell phones could die), to have a gallon of water per person for everyone in the home for three days, to have cash (ATMs will not work if there is no power) and to have gasoline in their cars (gas stations will not work if there is no power as well).

Officials also encourage people to have batteries and a flashlight. Anecdotally, Patch heard that is very tough to buy a generator. Officials also strongly encourage people who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, especially if they are living alone, to go to emergency shelters if a storm is expected to hit.

Also, the American Red Cross has some great advice about how to be prepared for a hurricane and what should go in your hurricane survival kit.

Shelters: Bancroft said the decision to open a shelter or not has yet to be made. But, if an emergency shelter is needed it will be at Ledyard High School, 24 Gallup Hill Road.

Also, the Town Hall will be open as a charging station and the fire departments will fill water containers for residents in need of fresh water.

Places for Information: Follow the state’s emergency preparedness guide here. Also, people can sign up for the Ledyard’s Everbridge alert system that will call, text and/or email you with town updates.

Patch will be curating all this information, along with our own original reporting. Follow are site and click here to follow our Facebook page.