Police Issue Bulletin With Hurricane Sandy Tips

The Windham Police Department issued the following bulletin on Saturday night informing residents of the preparations taking place for the potential impact of Hurricane Sandy in town:

In preparation for the effects that Hurricane Sandy will have on our community and the region Windham Public Safety (Police, Fire and Emergency Management) and Highway officials are closely monitoring forecasts and preparing staff and equipment for the necessary response.

On Thursday, Friday and again today the management staff of both the Police and Fire Departments participated in a statewide conference call with state and federal officials as well as representatives of the National Weather Service to ensure that we are all informed and prepared with the latest information and efforts being made statewide.

As of noon today the National Weather Service is relatively confident that the center of Hurricane Sandy will come ashore south of Long Island. However, because of the size and magnitude of the storm we will receive significant wind (upwards to 50 MPH) and rain in the 1” to 3” range between noon on Monday into the early morning hours of Tuesday. Flash flooding is possible and with the amount of leaves remaining in the trees or having recently fallen the possibility of roadway flooding is possible.

Utility companies have assured us that they are in a state of storm preparation with additional crews and equipment ready to respond if and when necessary.Residents are urged to continue monitoring weather and news reports for updates. We will again participate in a statewide conference call on Sunday and will distribute any updates afterwards.In the mean time, residents are encouraged to

• put-away or secure outdoor items that may be impacted by high winds
• clear downspouts, low-lying areas, culverts, and storm drain grates near their homes of leaves, limbs and branches

If power is lost and generators are to be used residents are reminded that generators must be run outdoors and be located a minimum of 10-feet away from the exterior of the home. During previous storms emergency personnel have responded to homes where carbon monoxide has built up in the residence due to unsafe placement of running generators.

Should utility lines fall DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Even if the line is for another utility (cable or phone) the line could be charged with electricity due to a problem elsewhere in the system. TREAT EVERY UTILITY LINE AS IF IT WERE LIVE. If you observe a downed utility line you are asked to call either the police of fire departments at one of the numbers listed to advise them.

PHONE NUMBERS

EMERGENCY      9-1-1
WINDHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT:            434-5577
WINDHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT:                 432-6121