Wilton “Well-Prepared,” But Blizzard Fizzled [UPDATE]

Maybe Wilton’s preparations scared off the blizzard?

Early Tuesday, the National Weather Service downgraded the blizzard warning to a winter storm, as predicted accumulation totals were also lowered from highs of 36″ down to 12″-16″ at most. But it seems that Wilton got even less than that.

That’s not to say the blizzard didn’t pack a punch. Areas north and east of Wilton are still getting hit by the brunt of the storm. But it does seem as if Wilton and much of the tri-state area was spared.

Better safe than sorry. Wilton’s first selectman Bill Brennan was confident Wilton would handle Winter Storm Juno well. Heading into the blizzard Monday, he told GOOD Morning Wilton that the town was in “good shape.”

“We have a substantial number of trucks out there sanding. The key is staying ahead of the storm.  The trucks will stay out there… the key thing is we don’t know how it will go,” he said.

Brennan added that the town had prepared, both through training and staffing.  “We’re well-planned, we’ve had drills for this sort of thing. We’re planning for the worst. We’re well-staffed, our public safety personnel, as they always do, they rise to the occasion. We’re prepared–we’ve been through this before.”

According to Brennan, the town’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated Monday afternoon and was staffed throughout the night.

Of biggest concern, he said, were potential power outages, although as of 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, there were no CL&P customers in Wilton without power.

Brennan urged residents to call CL&P swiftly to report any outages.

“Even if other houses on the street have called to report outages, if you have an outage, CL&P must get a call from your house,” he said, adding the number is 800.286.2000.

Temperatures were expected to drop into the teens, with a wind chill bringing it down even further.

Town officials made public safety their top priority.

• Wilton’s emergency shelter was open at Comstock as of Monday night but is now closed as of Tuesday morning.
• Residents are reminded to not park vehicles on town roads during storm operations. This will hinder plowing operations and could cause damage to your vehicle.
• [UPDATED 8:45 A.M. Tuesday] A CT state-mandated travel ban for Fairfield County that began 9 p.m. monday night has been lifted as of Tuesday morning. It remains for New Haven County and state highways, however.
• Wilton Emergency Managements cautions that many roads are still snowy, and if you must travel, please do so carefully. Remember road crews are working to make the roads safe. Please “Don’t Crowd the Plow.”
• Take care when using fire or candles, especially as emergency vehicles may be hampered in their ability to navigate snow-covered roads.

The storm’s intensity increased around midnight. Wilton Emergency Management‘s last information post on social media around that time cautioned that, “the snowfall forecast has not changed for this event. We are still expecting a general 24″ – 32″ of snow with locally higher amounts. The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will continue to monitor this major storm.”

How are you weathering the storm? Send your news, pictures, tips, etc. to editor@goodmorningwilton.com and help us cover how Wilton handles the #Blizzard2015.