Parking Ban Readied As Crippling Blizzard Set To Arrive

UPDATE — Public Schools are closed today and on Tuesday as Branford braces for a potentially crippling and some say potentially ​“life-threatening” Nor’easter. Forecasters predict coastal flooding and high winds when Juno, the all-out blizzard, slams into the state sometime later tonight.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy declared a state of emergency this morning, one that included prohibiting vehicular traffic from traveling on state roads after 9 p.m. This ban includes Route 1 in Branford, for example. ​“This prohibition extends to all vehicles except for those emergency response and recovery vehicles with the capacity to maneuver in heavy snow,” the governor wrote in his order signed this morning at 9:45 a.m. First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove and police officials discussed a parking ban on roads, but Cosgrove has decided to ask all residents to voluntarily avoid parking on town roads. 

Steady, strong snow, with accumulations predicted from two to three feet is expected. Winds may reach between 40 and 60 miles per hour. The voluntary parking ban may be replaced by a mandatory one depending upon the intensity and duration of the blizzard. Earlier in the day Police Chief Kevin Halloran said in an interview that a parking ban is essential. ​“The faster the snow is removed, the sooner residents will be able to resume their normal lives,” he said. A town ordinance bars parking on the even side of the roadway ​“during and for 24 hours after the snowfall is in effect.” So an even side ban is now in effect and so is the governor’s ban on driving on state roads in town. 

Governor Malloy also said there will be no Shoreline East rail service Tuesday morning. The last Metro-North train leaving Grand Central Terminal in New York will be at 9 p.m. tonight. ​“This will be a powerful storm,” Malloy said, adding that snow is expected to fall at roughly 5 inches per hour starting sometime after midnight.

The severe weather forecast led Branford Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez to close schools through Tuesday. All school-sponsored activities were cancelled as well. Updates will be announced on the school district’s website. 

Cosgrove told the Eagle that the town is preparing to open the Community House as an emergency shelter in the event of power outages. Residents should contact 203 – 315-3909 to learn when and if the shelter will open. The Community House, which is located at 46 Church St., will also allow pets. The Community Dining Room will be closed. 

In an address tonight to town residents via the police department’s B‑Informed service, Cosgrove asks residents to ​“shelter in place” until roads are open. He also said the town’s transfer station will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday and trash pick-up is suspended for those days as well.

Further updates from Town Hall will be published in the Eagle as they develop.

Department Heads Meet 

Public Works director Tom Brennan met with Cosgrove and other department heads Monday morning to discuss the town’s plans for coping with Storm Juno.

In the meantime, he said there are 16 town trucks at the ready, plus 14 to 16 outside contractors with heavy equipment such as front end loaders to haul away the snow. Cosgrove lined them up early as his predecessor Unk DaRos had.

His recommendations for residents? Stay off the roads, follow any emergency alerts from the police and first selectman, and use common sense.

Supermarkets Jammed

Starting Sunday at noon and continuing to noon today, area supermarkets reported they were jammed with customers. Aisles were filled with shoppers stocking up. Many items were sold out. The bread aisles were virtually empty at many stores. There wasn’t a banana in sight at the Big Y supermarket in Branford this morning. 

Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL& P) sent emergency messages to its customers early Sunday evening, saying that high winds and a significant snowfall “can bring down trees and limbs, threatening the company’s electric system. Customers are encouraged to prepare for prolonged outages that may result from the storm.”

The National Weather Service says the blizzard will produce “extremely dangerous travel due to heavy snowfall and strong winds with whiteout conditions likely. Secondary and tertiary roads may become impassable, strong winds may down power lines and trees.” In addition high tides may cause coastal surges.  Monday’s daytime high tide in Branford is at 3:54 p.m. Tuesday’s high tide is at 4:26 a.m. and at 4:59 p.m.

CL&P said in a news release that it is “pre-staging employees and materials in locations across the state, and is preparing vehicles for safe travel on slippery roads and in poor weather conditions.” In addition to CL&P’s approximately 400 line workers, the company has also secured outside crews in advance of the storm, a spokesman said Sunday.

CL&P reminded the public to stay at least 10 feet away from any downed power lines and to immediately call 911 to report them.

Meanwhile, as snow fell at noontime, wildlife slowly moved toward shore. Here is a young seagull just a foot or two from the beach and a road in the Short Beach section of town. Like most of us, he is waiting.

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