Superstorm Sandy may have spared New Haven the brunt of her wrath. But she may have also robbed the local kids of some candy.
In the storm’s wake, Mayor John DeStefano is calling on parents to keep their children home Wednesday night rather than allow them to go Halloween trick-or-treating.
Downed wires and ongoing power outages will probably still make some streets dangerous for kids to traverse at night, the mayor said at an 11 a.m. Tuesday post-storm update at City Hall.
“I don’t see any reason we should be putting our children at risk. I would suggest folks skip trick-or-treating and stay home and have a wonderful time,” DeStefano said.
“It’s the safe and right thing to do.”
(Update: The mayor’s press office sent out a release mid-afternoon Tuesday suggesting people trick or treat the following Wednesday instead.)
Click here for a roundup of the city’s plans and initial damage assessments from Monday’s storm. Downed trees and power lines caused havoc in City Point, Morris Cove and Fair Haven, but a last-minute westward shift in the storm spared New Haven from the scariest scenarios before Monday’s 11:53 p.m. high tide.
At Tuesday’s press conference, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro noted that DeStefano was ready to dispatch rescue teams to save people who ignored evacuation orders in case the flood waters had reached their feared levels. DeLauro noted that officials in “some parts of the country” told the holdouts they’d have to fend for themselves. She didn’t specifically name New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the official in question.
New Haven’s “Mayor prepared to move to save people’s lives,” she said.
DeStefano said he hopes that those who ignored evacuation orders don’t conclude “I didn’t have to go.”
“We had some rescues of knuckleheads in cars last night,” he said. “All of us had better things to do.”
The mayor warned people not to venture out unless absolutely necessary. He said city crews still need time to make the streets safe.
The Mayor clearly didn't think this one through -- why would he postpone it for a full week when he could have rescheduled it for a far more convenient Friday or Saturday? Should have consulted some parents before making this move...