Hurricane Sandy Left About 250 Homes in Old Lyme Uninhabitable

Old Lyme's beach homes suffered the most damage when Hurricane Sandy's storm surge rushed ashore. Old Lyme building and health officials have now completed a house-by-house assessment of the damage and the bad news is that about 250 homes have been declared uninhabitable by the town. 

As of yesterday, four percent of Old Lyme was still without power but that includes damaged homes that have been isolated from power until they can be made safe. Excluding the damaged homes, 99 percent of the town has power.

Property owners who want their homes to be reconnected to power lines must have their homes inspected by a licensed electrician, must have a qualified gas installer inspect the LP Gas system, and have ther water tested or, if the property is served by a water company, show a copy of the recent bill. 

Homes with wells that may have been flooded should have their water tested for coliform, fecal matter, and MF. Eastern Analytical Laboratories, 134 Boston Post Rd. in Old Saybrook (860) 388-2378 is offering Old Lyme residents water testing at the reduced rate of $39.

Sample bottles and instructions are available for free at Old Lyme Town Hall but testing samples should be taken to Eastern Analytical, which is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 pm. If you have any questions, please call the Old Lyme Emergency Operations Center at (860) 598-0120.

The town is also urging residents who suffered damage during the storm to register for disaster assistance with FEMA, 1-800-621-FEMA.