(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Connecticut State Emergency Operations Center is activated in advance of Hurricane Henri, which is anticipated to make landfall on Connecticut tomorrow, and state emergency management officials have been working throughout the day to prepare for the storm. The governor is urging everyone in Connecticut to be prepared for its impact.
“While Connecticut has certainly seen its share of bad weather, Henri is shaping up to be the first direct hit of a hurricane on the state in more than 30 years,” Governor Lamont said. “I urge everyone in Connecticut to take this storm seriously. Prepare to shelter in place Sunday and into early Monday morning. Plan for power outages that could last for an extended period. Be prepared for urban and coastal flooding, particularly if you live in a designated flood zone. The state is deploying resources and working with our federal counterparts to react quickly and respond as necessary. We will continue monitoring the storm and provide updates through the coming days.”
As previously announced, the governor today submitted a request to President Joe Biden for a pre-landfall emergency declaration to be declared for Connecticut, which would provide the state with federal assistance in anticipation of the impacts of the storm. Governor Lamont spoke via telephone with President Biden about the request this afternoon.
In addition, Governor Lamont has issued a declaration of civil preparedness emergency – commonly known as a state of emergency – that will enable the state to take any actions necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of the people of Connecticut.
At Governor Lamont’s direction, more than 200 members of the Connecticut National Guard have been placed on state active duty and spent today preparing for storm response. Expected missions include high-wheeled vehicle search and rescue, route clearance, power generation, and commodities distribution, but may shift depending on the actual impact of the storm.
Governor Lamont is stressing the following items to the people of Connecticut:
- Flooding: The ground throughout the state is already saturated due to the significant amount of rain Connecticut has received over the last several weeks. Hurricane Henri is expected to bring a large amount of additional rainfall. Because the ground is already saturated, this will lead to significant urban and coastal flooding statewide. In addition, a very high tide is expected along Connecticut’s coastline, which will add to the flooding.
- Outages: Hurricane Henri is expected to deliver sustained winds of around 65 miles per hour with gusts up to 80 miles per hour, which will knock down trees and power lines. Eversource and United Illuminating are projecting that a significant number of customers statewide will lose power and the outages are likely to last for days. The utility companies have informed the governor that they are bringing twice as many crews to the state as were brought in for last year’s storm. Even with these additional crews, customers should still be prepared for outages that could last for a significant period. Everyone statewide is urged to keep all mobile devices fully charged in case of emergency.
Everyone in Connecticut is urged to check for announcements from their local town and city officials pertaining to potential evacuation orders for their area. They should take these orders seriously and follow that guidance.
In addition, all public transit systems statewide, including trains, buses, and ferries, are planning to suspend operations by the very early hours of Sunday morning. These suspensions will likely last through at least Monday morning.