Emergency Office Keeping a Watchful Eye on Earl

With Hurricane Earl predicted to graze the New England coast later this week, Darien's Office of Emergency Management isn't taking any chances with its planning.

"Department heads and directors have been informed about what they need to do," Marc McEwan, director of the office, told Patch on Tuesday.

"The state's Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is sending out briefings two or three times a day," he added. "Obviously we are keeping an eye on its path and what it's outcome is expected to be for us."

The National Hurricane Center projected Tuesday afternoon that Earl would pass through the region Thursday night or early Friday, but uncertainty remains about how far west the storm will come before heading out to sea again. Even a more easterly track has the potential to cause coastal flooding and heavy seas.

As of 8 a.m., the center gave Darien a 20-30% chance of experiencing tropical storm force winds—which represent a minimum sustained speed of 39 mph—and a 5-10% chance of experiencing winds of at least 58 mph.

Winds in the latter range "have a tendency to wreak some pretty good havoc and keep the power out for several days," McEwan warned.

Earl is currently listed as a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph. The NHC said that hurricane watches may be issued for portions of the mid-Atlantic as early as today.

Given the possibility of a Connecticut landfall or near miss, McEwan said that town officials have been in regular communication regarding preparations. 

Those measures include checks and of fuel supplies, emergency generators, rescue vehicles, and public works equipment, McEwan said. Such inspections are routine but might be done "a little more rigorously" during the approach of a storm, he added.

"Certainly if the storm forecast remains the same, we are going to be impacted," McEwan said, possibly on a level "similar to the March 13 storm."

That tree-toppling nor'easter knocked out power for 3,500 Darien customers—in many cases for days—and forced numerous road and school closures.

McEwan emphasized that the town's preparations are on a par with its response to any major weather event, as proscribed by Darien's emergency management procedures.

"I don't want to make it sound like we're going through this major hurdle," he said.

Still, McEwan advises residents to have appropriate supplies of food, water, and medication on hand for a "worst case scenario."

Darienites should also be prepared to heed evacuation orders "if that's a decision that gets made down the road," he added.