Today, Thursday, May 17, 63% of Newtown or 7184 residents remain without power after Tuesday's destructive storm. Schools in Newtown are closed today. You can continue to monitor the Eversource outage map here.
First Selectman Daniel Rosenthal has informed residents that Eversource currently has 24 crews working in Newtown with 6 of those crews working with our Public Works Department to clear blocked roads and the remainder working on restoration efforts. Immediately following the storm there were over 100 blocked roads, which are now down to roughly 25. Crews are working to open Parmalee Hill, Hanover, Obtuse and the Buttonball Road areas among others.
We understand Eversource has told most residents they will see power back on by this Sunday, 5/20, they have confirmed that restoration efforts are underway. While full restoration of Newtown will take several days, we expect to see the total number of outages begin to decline soon. The largest outage clusters will come back on first and regrettably smaller groups will likely extend through the weekend. We will provide additional details as we have them.
Tomorrow we will make dumpsters available for disposal of spoiled food at several locations in town.
We will provide details as to timing and locations in the next update. The Emergency Management Team will reconvene this afternoon and provide additional updates this evening via email and the Code Red messaging center as necessary. Newtown’s First Selectman and the Emergency Management Office continue to urge residents to be safe and stay informed. As we close in on 48 hours following the storm, fatigue sets in as we all do the best we can to manage. This is the time when patience is low and accidents can happen. Please take care of yourself and others.
Safety First:
Do not use outside cooking equipment inside Keep generator exhaust away from residence
Stay away from power lines Residents can come to locations listed below to seek relief/assistance
Cell phone/electronic equipment charging:
Newtown Senior Center at 14 Riverside Rd, Sandy Hook, Mon thru Fri 8 am to 4:30 pm
Cyrenius Booth Library, 25 Main Street, Newtown. Tel (203) 426-4533 Hours: Mon thru Thurs – 9:30 am to 8 pm, Fri – 11 am to 5 pm; Sat 9:30 am to 5 pm; Sun 12 to 5 pm
Showers:
Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 5 am to 10 pm. Enter at Main Entrance.
NYA Sports and Fitness, 4 Primrose Street, located at Fairfield Hills, 5:30 am to 8 pm, check in at front desk
Water:
The Firehouses in your neighborhood. Fill from a hose, bring your own containers.
Park & Rec Garage (across from Reed School). Fill from a hose, bring your own containers.
Special Health Needs/Questions Contact Donna Culbert, Newtown Health District, tel 203-270-4291 or e-mail donna.culbert@newtown-ct.gov After hours tel 203-270-4200.
Important numbers and contact information:
If there is a Life Safety Emergency – call 911
Power outage – call 800-286-2000
Code Red – register at Emergency Management on the Public Safety page on the Town of Newtown’s website http://www.newtown-ct.gov/emergency-management or call 203-270-4370 for assistance; Smart 911 – register at Emergency Management on the Public Safety page on the Town of Newtown’s website http://www.newtown-ct.gov/emergency-management
Check the News tab on the Town website: www.newtown-ct.gov You can register there too to receive news. Connecticut’s free information and referral service: call 2-1-1 or visit www.211ct.org
First Selectman’s office Tel (203) 270-4201
Emergency Management/Fire Marshal Tel (203) 270-4370
Health District Tel (203) 270-4291