Connecticut Officials Prepare For 'Catastrophic' Weather Event
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) - Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy warned Hurricane Sandy could bring the worst flooding in generations when it makes landfall late Monday.
"Planning for a Category Four event, which is our highest state of readiness with catastrophic consequences as a result of flooding," Malloy told WCBS 880.
United Illuminating and Connecticut Light and Power have hundreds of employees and outside contractors positioned to react to the storm's aftermath, even before Sandy wreaks havoc on our area.
CL&P has brought in about 2,000 outside contractors to help deal with likely power outages once the high winds and heavy rains sock the region.
WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reports
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United Illuminating handles the power for more than a million residents across 17 towns in Connecticut, and has already projected about half of its customers may lose power from Sandy.
Malloy has again urged shoreline residents to heed his evacuation order. He declared a state of emergency on Saturday.
Malloy said Sandy is forecast to cause more flooding damage than the state saw in the devastating hurricane of 1938.
"As bad as the storm is likely to be and as much damage as it is likely to cause, I have every confidence that the people of Connecticut can and will withstand the next 48 hours," Gov. Malloy told WCBS 880.
"I was here in [19]92. 92 was bad, I was in water up to my chest as a volunteer firefighter and this is going to be worse than that. I just can't imagine people staying in low-lying areas after all these warnings," said Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff.
Some Connecticut residents tried in vain to get some last-minute storm preparedness equipment before Sandy strikes.
"Yes, I was looking for a generator. Yes, they're all gone," one shopper at Home Depot told WCBS 880's Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau.
With the storm anticipated to cost millions of dollars in damage across the region, Connecticut's governor issued a warning to anyone looking to cash in on others' misfortune.
"Be forewarned, if you try to take advantage of Connecticut consumers by engaging in price gouging, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law as a result of the bill that I recently signed," Malloy told WCBS 880.
For information about shelters set up across Connecticut, call 211.
