The Daily Five: One More Day For FEMA, Business Growth in East Lyme, Community Thanksgiving in Lyme/Old Lyme

1. We may see a few more clouds today but the temperature will be a little higher than yesterday with a high of 51 degrees, according to weather.com. Tonight will be cold but clear, with a low temperature of 34 degrees. There's just a slight chance of rain during the day. 

2. If you want assistance from and help you process the paperwork at East Lyme Town Hall today.

Originally, FEMA's Temporary Disaster Recovery Center was scheduled to be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only but the center is going to be open today too. According to Gov. Dannel Malloy's office, the hours of operation on Friday will be from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. 

Gov. Malloy announced yesterday that FEMA will operate additional fixed Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in Milford and Norwalk to assist home owners and businesses affected by Storm Sandy.  

To date, nearly $6 million in federal disaster assistance has been approved to help individuals with disaster expenses in Connecticut.

3. East Lyme's Zoning Commission gave the thumbs-up to two new businesses last night. The Commission approved a special permit to allow Tyler Gilbertie to open a fast food restaurant called Lazy Burrito at 327 Flanders Road in East Lyme.

"We've had fast food restaurants there before," said Commission Chair Marc Salerno said. "It's good to have more restaurants in town."

The commission also granted Nancy Hutchins of Long Water Farm a special permit to operate an organic market garden at her residence at 32 Black Point Road in Niantic. Hutchins plans to develop two 32 foot by 50 foot gardens and grow organic produce to be sold at local farmers markets and to local restaurants.

Hutchins told the commission she's been gardening at home for 20 years but that she's been inspired by the locally-grown organic food movement and is now "ready to participate." She has no plans to sell the food on site.   

4. Shellfishing areas opened as scheduled yesterday, although because of Superstorm Sandy, some local areas remain closed awaiting testing results from Ledge Light Health District. Area E and F in Niantic Bay, south of McCook's Point, however, have opened. At 1:30 p.m. today, the call came that the Niantic River was open for the scallop season and that the approved areas in Niantic Bay and the Niantic River were open.  

5. Thanksgiving brings everyone together and that's certainly true in Lyme and Old Lyme. This Sunday, churches from both towns will come together for a community Thanksgiving service.

The service will be held at 5 p.m. at Saint Ann's Church, 82 Shore Road, in Old Lyme but the congregations of First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Christ the King Roman Catholic, Lyme Congregational, Congregational South Lyme Chapel, Saint Ann’s, and Shoreline Church will all be there. 

If you're planning to go, please bring a canned good for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen Pantry. For more information call (860) 434-1621.