Town Officials Scrambling to Put The Pieces Back Together After Snowstorm

Perhaps it is fitting that the weekend winter storm has been dubbed "Alfred."

Batman's butler went by that name and town officials have been trying to act like super heroes while trying to get residents everything they need.

Public safely personnel worked into the night and then even more. At about 3 p.m. on Sunday, exhausted police dispatcher Melissa Silverstein was slowly pulling her car out of the parking lot at headquarters.

"I'm going to go home to shower and rest a little and will be back here for an overnight shift," she said. "The phones have not stopped."

In addition to the paid communications staffers, volunteers were - and still are - taking calls at the emergency operations center. In addition to the long hours on Sunday, Mayor Jason McCoy called a staff meeting for Monday at 10 a.m. to plan the rest of the week.

"It could be days and even weeks," Lt. William Meier said when discussing when things might be back to normal. Some officers even had their children sleep in the station's Community Room overnight.

When asked how he was doing on Monday morning, Police Chief James Kenny just shook his head and laughed. 

The storm knocked down more than 200 power lines in Vernon, according to a detailed map compiled by town officials. That translates to about 15,000 Connecticut Light & Power customers. Mayor Jason McCoy said it would be two weeks before power is fully restored to town.

Schools were closed Monday and town officials have not announced a timetable for students going back.   

That made finding food - and coffee - an adventure. Some supermarkets had limited capabilities on generators. McCoy said anyone needing a shower, a hot meal or refreshment can go to the shelter at Vernon Center Middle School. 
 
Vernon Center Middle School is located at 777 Hartford Turnpike, was opened yesterday afternoon in anticipation of Winter Storm Alfred.
 
McCoy said the VCMS shelter will remain open twenty four hours per day and provide refuge for residents without power. Residents should bring bedding and any essential supplies. The shelter is pet-friendly. Residents bringing pets need to provide their own crates, food, and other necessities. No inherently dangerous animals will be allowed into the facility.

Charging stations are set up at the shelter. 
 
The shelter seemed like a better option that area hotels. Those that are open are booked solid and there are still no guarantees. One resident drove to East Windsor with her family, but had to turn around and head back to Vernon because the hotel had lost power while she was in transit.

Gas availability was spotty. Danis Food Mart on Route 83 was packed all day and night, but staffers were directing traffic and the wait time was 30 to 45 minutes. 

Town crews were working feverishly through the night and into Monday to clear roads. Routes 30 and 83 were connected again overnight when a large tree that was blocking Center Road was cut up and removed.

The temperature was 27 degrees in Vernon on Monday morning but various weather services said the readings are expected to go from unseasonably cold to unseasonably warm. Afternoon temperatures on Monday should reach 50 degrees and creep toward 60 as the week progresses.

"Then,it's onto the leaves once the snow melts," Public Works Director Robert Kleinhans said on Sunday.

He wasn't kidding. It's all shaping up to be a long November for the butlers.