Vernon Has Been Ready for Hurricane Sandy

Vernon has been prepared for Hurricane Sandy.

With a fully staffed Emergency Operations Center that included Town Administrator John Ward, Superintendent of Schools Mary Conway and many other top school system officials, the initial 12-hour shift fielded a light number of calls and emergency workers were dispatched only to a pair of calls - one involving a traffic crash on Route 30.

"We're ready," said Emergency Management Director Michael Purcaro. "We've been ready."

Winds began picking up at lunchtime, and it quickly became a game of good luck finding a place to eat. Establishments along routes 30 and 83 were closing rapidly. One eatery to stay open was the KFC on Route 30 - known locally as Hartford Turnpike. The lines were long but it seemed people were just happy for a place to stop.

The rapid closings caught Lt. William Meier of the Vernon Police Department off guard. He still had to arrange meals for the prisoners in the lockup. He was leaning toward frozen dinners that could be cooked in a microwave oven.

A total of 28 people had signed up to spend the night at the regional emergency shelter at Vernon Center Middle School. One bird was at the pet-friendly shelter. Caged animals are welcome.

As of 3 p.m., just three sections of three roads were closed:

• Bolton Road - overhead fuse.

• Richard Road - overhead fuse (repaired almost immediately).

• Juniper Lane (overhead transformer).

A line truck has been assigned to Vernon for the day.

At about 4 p.m., a wire went down near 650 Hartford Turnpike.

U.S. Rep Joseph Courtney toured the local facilities at about 3. He said the ride was shaky coming up from the shoreline. He seemed glad to be in Vernon, not only because he can stay at his home tonight, but because the weather was better.