Update on City's Recovery from Hurricane Irene

The Milford Fire Department is in recovery mode from Hurricane Irene and is experiencing a higher than normal request for assistance from city residents.

During the Storm, Fire Department crews responded to more than 175 calls for emergency assistance which included several electrical fires in structures, medical emergencies and water rescues throughout the City.

The Emergency Operations center answered more than a thousand calls for assistance yesterday and continues to receive calls today trying to answer questions from citizens regarding post Hurricane Irene recovery operations. Citizens can call (203) 874-6782 to get information regarding questions.

According to the United Illuminating Liaison at Fire Headquarters, 38 % of the City is still without power and they are working on establishing power to the secondary priorities to the buildings and areas that were developed by Emergency Management.

Citizens must understand that in some areas of the City, power was shut off for Safety purposes during the height of the storm. This was done to stop building fires that were developing and also to increase the safety of those evacuating and emergency workers.

Fire Department personnel are currently in the areas of Point Beach and Beechland Ave assessing the conditions of buildings before power can be returned. It is not as easy as flipping a switch, each structure must be evaluated and if the electrical service has been damaged the electrical meter needs to be made inoperable by the United Illuminating before power can be restored to the entire area. If power was to be returned without doing this the risk of electrical fires increases severely.

Residents that have questions regarding electrical problems should contact the United Illuminating Storm desk at (800) 722-5584.

Numerous roads still remain closed and the Fire Department is coordinating with the Public Works and United Illuminating to get these roads open. Many of the fallen trees have also taken down wires and those wires are still energized, the power will need to be shut off before the trees can be removed.

Residents using generators shall use caution as the two biggest risks are carbon monoxide poisoning from the toxic engine exhaust and electrocution from connecting to the home electrical wiring system. Always run your generator outside in a well-ventilated area.

Additional information regarding post storm operations can be obtained from the City of Milford’s website or by contacting (203) 874-6782.