Good afternoon, this is First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons with an important emergency alert on Tropical Storm Elsa.

Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to make landfall in Connecticut very early Friday morning.  Winds are currently forecast to begin increasing along the coast at daybreak tomorrow and peak during mid-morning in southeastern Connecticut, with sustained winds of 35 – 40 MPH and gusts up to 55 MPH at times.  Heavy rainfall associated with Elsa will likely cause minor to moderate flooding Friday morning.  Total rainfall is forecast to range from 3” – 5” from late today through early Friday afternoon.  Strong winds combined with wet soils may cause widespread power outages in southeastern CT and more scattered power outages across the rest of the state. 

The Town Emergency Operations Team is making storm preparations and coordinating with Eversource for possible power outages. As a precaution, tomorrow, Friday July 9th,  all Town beaches and parks will be closed until at least noon and all Town sponsored summer camps will be cancelled.  In addition, all Town offices will be closed to the public tomorrow; staff are being directed to work remotely and accessible via phone and email during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 .p.m. Please contact Town departments today if you have any in-person service needs with Town so you can plan accordingly. The Town has extended offices hours on Thursday’s until 6:30 p.m.  

It is important that all residents take the time now to secure loose items in your yard that have potential to be thrown around by wind or rising water, and to prepare for power outages and tree damage, potentially for an extended period of time.

Stay safe Madison.

Peggy Lyons
First Selectwoman