Greenwich Power Outages At 10,000 From Tropical Storm Isaias

GREENWICH, CT — Thousands of residents are still without power following Tropical Storm Isaias' path through Greenwich, and the state, Tuesday afternoon.

The damage caused by the storm was deemed significant enough that First Selectman Fred Camillo declared a local state of emergency Tuesday evening as the town worked to clear hazards from the town's roads.

According to Eversource's outage map, over 10,000 Greenwich residents are still without power as of noon Wednesday. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Police took to social media Wednesday morning to provide residents with a list of tips to help them "return to normal" following the storm.

According to police, all wires in town should be viewed as live, with the potential to electrocute anyone. In light of this, residents are asked to stay away from all downed wires in town and report them to 911 immediately, police said.

Residents are still asked to shelter in place, if possible, while the town works to clean everything up.

"For safety's sake, we do encourage people who were able to shelter in place to stay as local as possible in the aftermath," police said on Facebook, "this helps the emergency responders and cleanup crews travel unimpeded. Also, downed wires are dangerous."

All outages should be reported directly to Eversource at www.eversource.com, or by calling 800-286-2000. If a traffic signal is out, residents are asked to treat them as stop signs and proceed with caution, and service will be restored to them as quickly as possible, according to police.

Blocked roads can also be reported to the town's public safety general dispatch number at 203-622-8004.

"Please remember, the town will clean up downed town trees in the right of way," police said on Facebook. "Please do not put your own property's trees, branches or other debris out in the street; it will not be picked up."

Residents left with a "significant amount" of debris from the storm may have to hold onto it for a little while, according to police.

"If the storm creates a significant amount of debris, it may be some time before your hauler can dispose of all your debris," police said. "Organic material, like spoiled food, should go first, and you may need to hang on to your other storm debris on your parcel for some time until your hauler can come."

Police also provided the following information regarding the town's restoration priorities:

• Town priorities are oriented to health and safety and focus on Greenwich Hospital, The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home, police and fire facilities, residences for the elderly, as well as wastewater collection system infrastructure (pump stations, low-pressure sewer neighborhoods) and the treatment plant itself.
• From a traffic standpoint, the Town focuses on opening up major north/south and east/west arteries to facilitate both emergency and repair/cleanup response.
• DPW and the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, with its tree crews, work together with the utilities to help manage debris and get roads open.
• Road opening is often a fluid process – the road may be cleared and open but may be closed later for a time to reset poles or allow additional cleanup.

Further information can be found on the department's Facebook page. Patch's live updates of Tuesday's storm can be found here.

Patch has reached out to the First Selectman's office for further information.