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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. Hurricane Irene promises a big, wet and slow storm that could make a direct hit on Stamford as a Category 1 storm Sunday evening, a state emergency official said Thursday morning.
Of particular concern are communities along Long Island Sound as well as those along mid-size and smaller rivers that regularly flood, said Peter Boynton, deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
This a very large storm. We expect the storm to cover the entire state and really a good portion of southern New England," Boynton said in a conference call with reporters Thursday.
Irene could drench Fairfield County with between six and ten inches of rain, and potentially up to 14 inches in certain areas, Boynton said.
"This is a significant storm even as a Category 1 because it's large, because it's very wet and also, because, as these storms go, it's predicted to be a bit slower moving in New England than they normally are," he said.
Because of the size of the storm and the confidence behind some of the forecasts, Boynton urged residents to prepare for high winds, heavy rain, flooding, downed trees and power outages. Residents should make sure they have food and water for three days and also should fill cars up with gas, get cash from ATMs and fill propane tanks so cooking can be done on grills if the power if out.
"Id like to remind folks that although hurricanes are unpredicitable, this storm does have the potential to impact Connecticut," he said. "All of the computer mdels are unsually close in agreement and, therefore, we need to be prepared."
Rain from Irene could begin falling in Fairfield County Saturday evening and tropical storm force winds could blow across the region early Sunday.
As of 9 a.m., Thursday, the storm was forecast to make landfall over New Haven on Sunday, but that prediction had shifted by 11 a.m. to Stamford. And, Boynton said, the forecast is likely to change again in the coming days.
Regardless of where the storm makes landfall, the "storm surge" is of particular concern to coastal areas, especially those south of I-95. This "surge" could bring high seas crashing into Connecticut's coastline at around the same time high tide hits Sunday evening, Boynton said.
"If evacuations are necessary, we are not talking about the whole state or even whole towns," he said. "What we anticipate is if an evacuation is necessary it would be only from those low-lying coastal areas and low-lying areas along streams and rivers suspectible to flooding."
How are you preparing for Hurricane Irene?
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