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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. The freak snowstorm that blew in Saturday hit Fairfield County hard. Residents were surprised to see snow before Halloween for the first time in decades and were frustrated by the widespread, record-breaking power outages throughout the state.
Monday classes were canceled for schools in Norwalk, Wilton, New Canaan and Fairfield. Easton and Weston schools will be closed through Tuesday. Schools in Darien, Stamford and Greenwich will open Monday on a 90-minute delay. Westport schools will open on a regular schedule Monday morning.
Lisa Grant of Norwalk volunteered at the shelter that was set up at Brien McMahon High School on Sunday afternoon. Nobody showed up until about 5:30 p.m., when a couple with their grown son arrived after losing power in their Dry Hill Road home.
"What was different about this storm was that the leaves were still on the trees," Grant said. Her husband went out to the yard to shake the snow off the trees, so the excess weight did not break the limbs. "That was really good that he did that because we have a lot of specimen trees in our yard."
Darien resident Susan Moore's son was born on Halloween, but she can't recall the last time there was snow on the ground for his birthday. She guesses it's been 20 or 30 years since the last time it snowed this early.
"I hope this is the end of it," she said. She didn't lose power but was frightened by the sound of snow falling off trees Saturday night. "It sounded like limbs snapping."
New Canaan resident Rozena Verda and her family left to stay in Milford after they lost power, along with nearly half the town. Though they braved the power outage during Hurricane Irene, they felt it would be too cold to stay at their New Canaan home this time.
"There's no hot water, no lights, no electricity and no heat. It's just very frustrating," Verda said. They have lost power four times since moving into the home in May 2010 and meant to get a generator after Hurricane Irene hit. "I love New Canaan and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but we need to get a generator at this point."
Gary Vargas lives in the Bronx, N.Y., but takes the train every day to Stamford, where he works at Fairway Market. It usually takes him about 40 minutes to commute, but Saturday night and Sunday morning it took about two hours.
"I wish I stayed here last night," he said. Vargas didn't think to wear boots Saturday and instead wore sneakers, but he remembered them Sunday. The market was busy before the storm hit Saturday, but afterward he said nobody came in until late Sunday. "I was really surprised," he said. "I've never seen it snow before Halloween."
Greenwich interior decorator Lena Ever drove out in the storm Saturday to get groceries to make a stew in case the power was out for a week as it was after Hurricane Irene. "At my office we couldn't work for a week, so I'm hoping the lights will be on when I go in Monday," she said.
The biggest frustration for New Canaan resident Amy Burger was when she lost power Sunday afternoon while watching the New York Giants-Miami Dolphins football game. "That was the worst thing," she said, though she was happy that the Giants ultimately won the game.
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