Greenwich Schools to Open with 90 Minute Delay Monday [UPDATE]

Update 7:45 a.m.

Because of a power outage, classes have been cancelled at Convent of the Sacred Heartf. There are 90-minute delays at Brunswick and Stanwich schools and Greenwich Academy.

As of 6:50 a.m., CL&P reported that 13 percent or 3,628 of its Greenwich customers were still without power.

Update 10 p.m.

As of 10 p.m., 14 percent of CL&P customers in Greenwich remained powerless.

Services available Monday to residents who remain without power, according to an evening update from First Selectman Peter Tesei include:

• at 449 Pemberwick Road will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for charging, water and snacks.

Update 8 p.m.

Greenwich's Emergency Operations Center reported moments ago that it's confirmed a 90-minute delay with the Board of Education for Monday.

As of 8 p.m., 4,023 Greenwich customers of CL&P—or 14 percent of the utility's customer base here—were without power.

Update 3:55 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 3:50 p.m.

The Connecticut Congressional delegation Sunday afternoon released a statement in support of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s request to President Barack Obama for a federal emergency declaration in the wake of this weekend’s snow storm. Members of the delegation - which includes US Rep. Jim Himes (D-4) of Cos Cob - have been in touch with the White House today.

"This weekend's snow storm has caused serious damage and left thousands across the state without heat and power," the delegation said in the prepared statement. "We are committed to working hard to support Governor Malloy's request for the federal assistance necessary so that Connecticut residents can travel safely and get electricity restored to homes and businesses."

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 12:45 p.m.

First Selectman Peter Tesei's office issued an update to the town (attached as PDF). Part of the update included this information:

• open 12 to 8 p.m. today for charging, water and snacks
• open 1 to 5 p.m. today
• No timetable yet for restoration in Greenwich
• CL&P has deployed six line crews and two tree crews (generally two workers per crew) to the town
• There are currently nine impassable locations in town (see attached map and table below):

Patch will have more information as it becomes available.

Update 10:15 a.m.

As the state struggles with what Gov. Dannel Malloy has called the largest number of outages in Connecticut history at a single time—some 790,000 statewide—Greenwich held at about 18 percent of CL&P customers without power this morning.

See the full outage table below.

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

See the full outage table below.

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."

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

Stay on Patch for updates.

Update: 9:30 a.m. Sunday

There are dozens of road closures because of downed trees and power lines throughout Greenwich. There isn't an area of town that has not been affected.

The Town of Greenwich is maintaining a map on its website, indicating road closures from the shoreline to the backcountry. It also allows residents to report a fallen tree. 

Among the road closures: the southbound exit ramp of Exit 3 of I-95 because of downed wires; Hillside Road in front of Greenwich High School because of trees and wires down; West Putnam Avenue at Weaver Street, King Street, Lake Avenue and North Street.

The Merritt Parkway remains closed because of numerous downed trees, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

To report an outage or downed wires, call the CL&P Customer Experience Center 1-800-286-2000. As of 9:30 a.m., there were more than 5,100 Greenwich customers without power.

Update 12 a.m. Sunday

Powerless homes in Greenwich 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.

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 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.

Update 4:20 p.m.

In just one hour, the number of Greenwich CL&P customers has more than doubled (see table below), as night approaches amid continued rain and snow.

Original Story

Downed 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.

Greenwich Emergency Management Director Dan Warzoha said the heaviest snow will fall between 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday. In a message to town residents using the reverse 911 telephone system, Warzoha also advised residents the town's Department of Public Works highway and tree crews are working to clear roads of snow and fallen trees and limbs. He also said emergency personnel are responding to weather-related accidents.

DPW crews spent Friday installing sander boxes atop dump trucks and plows on all of the department's 26 trucks. According to Carmine Vitiello, the highway division's operations manager, the town already has a stockpile of 4,000 tons of road salt.

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

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 .