The Daily Five: FEMA Comes to Niantic, a Marathon Fundraiser, Sewers and Sandy, and Trivia Buzz

1. There's an 80 percent chance of rain today, according to Weather.com, but it's going to be mostly showers throughout the day that will ease up this evening. The high temperature could reach 56 degrees during the day and the overnight low could drop to 35 degrees.   

2. FEMA's Disaster Recovery Center will open today at East Lyme Town Hall, 108 Pennsylvania Avenue, Niantic, from noon to 7 p.m. to help answer questions about what assistance is available and help claimants with the paperwork.

This is the most recent of a number of mobile FEMA centers that have opened to help local residents cope with cleanup and recovery following Hurricane Sandy. As of Friday, Groton, which had been one of the closest to East Lyme, Old Lyme, and Lyme, had helped more than 120 filing claims for damage done during the storm. 

Ron Peterson, manager of the Groton center, said most were for items like water heaters lost in the storm due to flooding, and minor damage to residences. We'll see whether the same will be true for East Lyme, Old Lyme, and Lyme over the next three days. The center will also be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 14 and 15. 

If you're planning to go, FEMA requests that you register by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov before visiting the Disaster Recovery Center. (For those with speech or hearing disabilities, the TTY number is 800-462-7585.)

3. We're not the only people who appreciate pleasures of the Niantic Bay. The Hartford Marathon Foundation, which hosts the Niantic 5K & Niantic Bay Triathlon every year does too, and it has launched a fundraising effort via crowdrise.com to help restore Crescent Beach, which suffered considerable damage when Hurricane Sandy washed ashore.  

For a $50 donation, runners will save $10 off their registration fee for the Niantic race; $100 donation saves $20.

"We encourage donations of any amount from $5 - $100 or even more! Whatever amount. All is greatly appreciated and 100% will be put to good work at Crescent Beach," the Hartford Marathon Foundation notes.

For more information, email Registration@Hartfordmarathon.com. The discount amount can also be donated to the cause if people prefer.

4. In Old Lyme, septic systems and wells were directly affected by Superstorm Sandy. In East Lyme, the town water system was unaffected but judging from the number of trucks I've seen working on the sewer systems around town recently, the sewers didn't escape entirely unscathed.

Tonight, the East Lyme Water and Sewer Commission will meet to review and assess the damage done to the sewer system. Landmark Development's request for a determination of sewer capacity from the town regarding its affordable housing development at Oswegatchie Hills is also on the agenda again. The meeting will be held at East Lyme Town Hall at 6:30 p.m.  

5. Lyme-Old Lyme Education Fund's Trivia Bee Fundraiser was one of the many events that fell victim to Hurricane Sandy and the power outage that followed. This event has now been rescheduled for January 25, 2013. The good news is, now people who missed the original deadline to sign up to play as a team have a second chance to join the fun. Teams can download registration forms online here.