[Update] Town of Simsbury Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

Story updated October 25 at 5:10 p.m.

While forecasters work to predict the ultimate path of Hurricane Sandy, a category 2 storm moving slowly towards the east coast, Simsbury's emergency personnel are preparing for the worst.

Simsbury's Emergency Operations Director Kevin Kowalski and Police Chief Peter Ingvertsen said emergency personnel met early Thursday morning to begin taking the necessary steps to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.

The storm made landfall over Cuba Thursday morning with winds of 105 mph and gusts to 165 mph, according to the National Weather Service. and forecasters predict it will hit the Bahamas before turning north. One meteorologist is predicting that Sandy will become the "perfect storm" that will slam New England.

Connecticut is among the states that are expected to take a direct hit from Sandy as she barrels north, according to Accuweather.The other states in Sandy's course are New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachussetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. All states on the east coast are expected to experience some severe weather caused by Sandy.

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for eastern Florida as Sandy continues to move towards the Bahamas.

"The most important step for our residents to take right now is to sign up with CTAlert," Ingvertsen said.  "We need to be able to communicate safety information to people when the lines are down.  Please go to www.CTAlert.gov and sign up for emergency notices, using your cell phone if you have one – that is the most reliable way to get information."

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for Community Alerts on the Town of Simsbury’s website (www.simsbury-ct.gov) by clicking on the "Community Alerts" icon on the home page.  Residents can also receive the latest information by following the Town of Simsbury on Twitter (@townofsimsbury).

Regular updates will also be posted here on Simsbury Patch.

Free Daily Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Hurricane Sandy could make landfall on the east coast early next week, almost exactly one year since a major Nor'Easter hit the state. Town officials are urging residents to make preliminary preparations for the storm including:

• Fill your tank: purchase gasoline before the storm arrives
• Make sure you have plenty of food and water
• Have extra cash on hand

In addition to signing up for CTAlert, residents are urged to have the following emergency numbers and websites on hand:

• Emergency (police, fire and ambulance):  911
• Routine Police Department calls:  (860) 658-3100
• Routine Fire Department calls: (860) 658-1971
• Poison Control: (800)222-1222
• Emergency Shelter Information:(860) 658-3100
• Emergency Pet Shelter Information:(860) 658-3100
• Social/Senior Services: (860) 658-3283
• Power Outage: (800) 286-2000

 Websites

• www.simsbury-ct.gov
• www.simsburyfd.org