Emergency Plans in Place If Hurricane Sandy Tracks Our Way

It's still too early to tell if Hurricane Sandy will ruin another Halloween, but local emergency officials aren't waiting for the storm to arrive to prepare.

"Durham and Middlefield emergency management, fire, EMS, public works and elected officials are keeping a close eye on Sandy," Durham Emergency Management Director Francis Willett said in an email to Patch Wednesday night.

While meteorologists in Connecticut say it's too early to determine Sandy's exact path, computer models show the possibility of the storm making landfall in New England early next week.

On Wednesday, the storm produced winds of up to 80 mph as it passed over Cuba and Jamaica.

After it leaves the island nations there are many different directions the storm could travel, according to NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan, who posted a graphic of the potential directions on his weather blog.

Hanrahan also said that, even if the storm did hit Connecticut, “It’s not clear how strong it would be,” according to NBC Connecticut’s website.

Willett said both towns are better prepared to handle a large storm than they were a year ago when two storms two months apart knocked out power for a week, partly because of the amount of tree work that has been completed since the storms.

Although power outages are always a possibility during storms, the towns continue to have a good working relationship with Connecticut Light and Power, Willett said

"Just like in the last storms, we will activate our emergency plans and response only if the storm causes town wide outages or life safety issues," he said.

As a result of Tropical Storm Irene and October's nor'easter, more homeowners have invested in generators and Willett cautions residents to make sure the equipment is properly installed and that any related safety equipment — like carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarms — are also in working order.

He also recommends that businesses review their preparedness plans and has advice for residents as well:

"Top off your oil, gas and propane tanks early because suppliers may have delays delivering. Have food and bottled water for 3-4 days. Do not stock your refrigerator with a weeks worth of food, that will spoil if your power is out for 2-3 days."

Should Sandy head in our direction, updates can be found on the Town of Durham's Department of Emergency Management Facebook page or Twitter page. You can also sign up to receive alerts from Safer Durham.

"Stay tuned, better information on the storm track will be available Friday evening," Willett said.

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