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Connecticut Continues Preparations As Hurricane Irene Approaches

HARTFORD, CT (CBSNewYork) - Connecticut would be among the areas in the Tri-State that would likely get the brunt of the force of Hurricane Irene.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau With The Govenor

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Declaring a state of emergency would give Gov. Dan Malloy the power he requires to order evacuation from low-lying areas.

That is something he expects may have to happen given the expected heavy rainfall from this storm.

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"This is a massive storm moving slowly with a lot of wind," he said.

Malloy says predictions are that Connecticut can get 10 inches of rain - 6 inches of it is expected to fall in a very short period of time.

"That means flooding," Malloy said.

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Malloy says evacuations have already been ordered at Connecticut's camp grounds.

There is not only the concern of flooding, but also of falling trees.

Connecticut has set up a page of resources on its website for citizens in the state. CLICK HERE to check it out.

Malloy plans to update residents today on storm preparations, including any mandatory evacuation orders before the storm's expected arrival Sunday.

The University of Connecticut and several other colleges were changing their weekend moving-in schedules for students returning to campus. Many local school districts that are scheduled to start the new school year Monday also are making backup plans in case any of buildings or buses are damaged.

Utility companies say they also have their crews on alert.

WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau On Electric Utilities

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Connecticut Light & Power's Mitch Gross is preparing for widespread outages, which are likely if the storm maintains its current path.

"If projections come to fruition, this is a situation where you're talking about the possibility of rebuilding whole sections of the electric distribution system," he told Schneidau.

He said some areas could be without power for a week or more.

He said utility crews from as far away as Texas are on the way to help.

He also said that if you lose power, please call 800-286-2000 to report it.

Forecasters have said up to 65 million East Coast residents could be affected by Hurricane Irene, which was lashing the Carolinas on Friday morning.

Do you feel officials in Connecticut have done enough to prepare you for the coming storm? Let us know in the comments section below!

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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