SATURDAY, Aug. 21, 2021 — 1:30 p.m.:  The National Hurricane Center now classifies Henri as a hurricane as it continues to move up the east coast. It is predicted to make landfall in the New Haven area, near Madison, at 8 p.m. Sunday evening, Aug. 22.

The first effects of Henri are now expected to begin between 6-10 a.m. Sunday morning. Wind and rain are forecast to steadily increase during the late morning and through the afternoon.

Police Chief John Lynch, Wilton’s emergency management director, warns that winds are expected to reach up to 80 mph in the eastern part of the state and 60 mph in Wilton, bringing the possibility of extensive power outages. Residents can expect heavy rainfall in a short period of time which will most likely cause flooding, especially to low-lying areas and coastal flooding in the shoreline areas.

  • Moderate to Major Coastal Flooding Expected: High tide on Sunday occurs in Bridgeport at 11:52 a.m. and 12:10 a.m. Monday morning. A storm surge of 3 feet is expected along the coast west of the storm track, and a surge up to 5 feet is possible east of the storm track.
  • Moderate River and Major Urban Flooding Expected: Henri is forecast to bring 4-8 inches or more of rainfall to the entire state which will likely cause moderate to major urban flooding and moderate river and stream flooding Sunday afternoon and evening.
  • Moderate to Major Tree and Powerline Damage Expected: Winds may gust to 65-85 mph at times in south-central and southeastern CT Sunday afternoon and evening with wind gusts of 40-60 mph across the rest of the state. These wind speeds could cause major tree and powerline damage across the state.

Lynch is urging residents to prepare on Saturday. Among the preparations he encouranges:

  • Stock up on water
  • Check generators
  • Secure any loose outdoor items
  • Residents on well water and septic systems should fill a bathtub with water and consider purchasing drinkable water
  • Sign up for e-alerts from Wilton Police and the Town of Wilton online. Sign up for emergency calls here. Town communication will occur more frequently through the e-alert system as that system reaches more residents.
  • Sign up for service restoration notices from utility providers
    • Eversource
    • Altice (Optimum)
      • Sign up for alerts through “my account” on the website
      • Report issues
    • Frontier: 24-hour customer service for residential customers at 800.239.4430 and business customers at 800.921.8102

Wilton’s emergency operations center will be monitoring and addressing issues as they arise. Lynch said the town is in contact with Eversource, and the power utility has “added additional crews to address the expected storm damage.”

Wilton officials said that town departments, EMS and C.E.R.T. are all prepared for a major storm.

Please call 911 to report emergencies and use SeeClickFix to report non-emergencies.  Please report downed trees through both 911 and SeeClickFix.

Post-storm:  If the need arises, information on indoor cooling and internet access centers in Wilton will be made available. Internet will be accessible outside all municipal buildings and schools. If school buildings lose power, only the exterior of Miller-Discoll School (217 Wolfpit Rd.) will have internet. The password is Warrior1.

Stay away from any downed power lines and assume they are live. Power lines can cause electrocution even in proximity. Stay clear of flooded areas and do not attempt to drive through them.