Community Corner

Brookfield Covered in Snow But Safe, Powered

Brookfield roads are mostly cleared and travel ban to be lifted by 4 p.m.

Update: 3:25 Feb. 9

The travel ban on state highways will be lifted at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy's office.

"I still want to urge residents to stay off the roads if at all possible," Malloy said. "Crews are out clearing roadways as we speak, but the fact is we are going to feel the impact of this storm for some time.  The longer we can keep traffic out of town centers and off of our highways, the more effective our recovery effort will be."

Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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Find out what's happening in Brookfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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Update: 1 p.m. Feb. 9

Brookfield seems to have weathered the 2013 blizzard well, receiving feet of snow but no extended power outages or injuries.

According to First Selectman Bill Davidson, the town did not need to open the emergency shelter at Brookfield High School (BHS) or the Emergency Operations Center at the police station.

As of 11 a.m., “99 percent of all local roads are open,” Davidson said, though “there are a few tough spots that our pubic works crews are working on right now.”

Statewide, Gov. Dannel Malloy said storm clean-up will take a number of days and the travel ban on state highways is expected to last through Saturday evening.

Malloy noted the following safety tips:

  • Make sure vents to household appliances like dryers are not blocked by snow. If blocked, carbon monoxide could build up inside and prove deadly.
  • Generators should be properly ventilated to the outdoors.
  • If you live near a fire hydrant, dig it out so firemen can access in the event of an emergency.

The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths, one in Prospect in which an elderly woman was reportedly hit by a car while snow blowing her driveway, and a 49-year-old Shelton man who died while shoveling his driveway.

A death in Danbury may also be connected to the storm.

Update: 2:25 p.m. Feb. 8

CL&P is reporting full restoration to Brookfield after a brief outage left 133 customers without power.

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Update: 1:15 p.m. Feb. 8

As the snow from Blizzard Nemo begins to pile [check out this NWS dynamic map that shows accumulation totals for the area], Brookfield residents are among some of the first Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) customers to report losing power.

As of 1:15 p.m. Friday, 133 businesses and residences, approximately 1 percent of town, is without power. The only other area significantly hit with outages early on is New Canaan, which accounts for 368 of the 532 outages reported statewide.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has issued a State of Emergency and is expected to close or limit access to state highways Friday afternoon into Saturday.

Update: Friday, Feb. 8

As of late Thursday night, the National Weather Service (NWS) has upgraded Winter Storm Nemo to a Blizzard Warning, in effect from 6 a.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Saturday.

The forecast is calling for heavy snow — with accumulation between 18 to 24 inches — and strong winds — up to 55 mph — throughout the storm.

“Heavy snow and winds will make for dangerous driving conditions with visibilities near zero in white-out conditions,” the NWS warns. “Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.”

The Weather Service is also predicting “some trees limbs will be downed, causing scattered power outages.”

Brookfield's Candlewood Fire Company posted a similar warning on Facebook, asking residents to "Stay indoors and off the roads as much as possible. Allow the Highway Department to do their jobs without worrying about vehicles stuck in the road or worse."

The post also suggested that drivers avoid "North Mountain, Elbow Hill, Sunset Hill, Baldwin Hill and any road with a steep grade."

Update: 6:15 p.m. Feb. 7

Brookfield Library Director Anita Barney sent out an email Thursday night stating that the library will be closed all day Friday and until at least 12 p.m. Saturday, depending on weather conditions.

The library will open on Saturday after the storm ends and “staff can travel safely,” Barney said. “We expect to be open our regular hours on Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m.”

Due dates for Friday and Saturday have been extended to Sunday.

Update: 4:40 p.m. Feb. 7

Brookfield Public Schools and St. Joseph's School will be closed Friday, Feb. 8 in expectation of the winter storm moving into the area.

First Selectman Bill Davidson said the town is prepared, having gone down a checklist that includes the generators at the emergency shelter (Brookfield High School) and police station and ensuring the town's sand trucks and plows are ready.

Davidson said the town considered sending out a reverse 9-1-1 phone call but decided to save that outlet for more severe emergencies.

His message Thursday was: "Get ready; we're ready."

Original Story

The NWS is predicting heavy snowfall headed for Connecticut and the Brookfield area Friday into Saturday, with a 50 percent chance of snow showers beginning Thursday night.

With between 12 to 16 inches of accumulation and strong wind gusts expected between Friday and Saturday afternoons, the NWS has issued a Winter Weather Watch and dubbed the storm Winter Storm Nemo.

As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Brookfield schools have yet to make a decision on whether to have a full day of classes on Friday, however schools throughout the state are expected to make announcements later Thursday afternoon.


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