Good evening, this is First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons with another Emergency Update
It’s now been over 72 hours since Tropical Storm Isaias hit Madison taking out over 80% of our electric service. We have made important progress throughout the day but, unfortunately, we still have an estimated 46% of our residents in the dark. While over 30 roads have been cleared by our emergency teams, we still have an estimated 20 roads that remain blocked and require Eversource to assess wires to make them safe for removal. Since yesterday evening, Eversource has dedicated a number of crews to our town who are focusing on restoring major circuits and critical infrastructure, including tackling significant damage at facilities like Concord Meadows and the North Madison Shopping Plaza. If you have service, please be patient if it is disrupted briefly due to their line work; it is necessary to make safe repairs. Also please avoid any downed wires that remain in neighborhoods. Treat all downed wires as live.
As power outages continue throughout the state, we are likely to see an even greater demand for beach access this weekend, putting significant pressure on safe capacity levels. As a result, I have signed an Executive Order that limits access to all Madison town beaches to residents only starting today, Friday, August 7th through next Sunday, August 16th. This applies to people 16 years of age and older, and includes walk-ins to our beach facilities. Visitors must provide proof of residency at the gates such as a driver’s license, student ID, tax bill, lease agreement, or locally addressed mail. Beach stickers are still required seven days a week to use beach parking lots and no visitor parking passes will be sold. Capacity limitations will remain in place in order to ensure social distancing can be maintained. Contact the Beach & Recreation Director at erskinesa@madisonct.org for more information on facility access. I realize this may create an inconvenience for residents as they visit our beach facilities, but this temporary measure is necessary to protect the public’s health and safety in these challenging times while so many are without power.
The Town Campus Emergency Shelter will stay open throughout the weekend from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Residents can use the facilities for accessing WiFi, charging cell phones, and showering. In addition, for our Senior Citizens aged 65 or older, the Madison Senior Center will be open this weekend from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. for device charging, WiFi access and as a cooling center. Shower facilities are also available at the Daniel Hand High School locker rooms from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which are located by the Tiger Door back entrance. Please remember that social distancing rules will be in effect at all town facilities, a mask must be worn to enter into any building, and access may be limited due to COVID-related capacity restrictions. Hoses for potable water remain available at Daniel Hand by the loading dock, at Brown Intermediate School, and at Town Campus. Please remember to bring your own container.
Tonight, I want to give a special thanks to all our first responders, including fire, police and dispatch, and our public works team, for their enormous efforts to make our neighborhoods safe. They have gone the extra mile to get things done with limited resources. Let’s continue to work together as a community to get through this challenging emergency situation.
Stay safe Madison. Thank you.