2. Campus Hurricane Update-Sunday 7 am

I just wanted to signal that there were no serious problems last night on or around campus:
Yale Facilities reported only scattered debris and no basement water issues more severe than “regular” storms. However with up to six hours or more of rain ahead, basements may become  a problem. (If students on campus see any facilities issues, please call the Facilities Hotline at  432- 6888.)  Scattered trees are down (outside Battell, 221 Whitney, and at the Divinity School) but none is blocking a road or passage.

The 5:15 am report from the New Haven City Emergency Center indicated that in the City of New Haven 7 power lines are down; 13 flood prone streets are closed due to rain, (not due to the storm surge) and winds were at 45 mph at 3 am.   The City expects more trees, limbs and power lines to start coming  down in the next few hours.  We in New Haven, so far, are getting less rain (about 3 inches) than Fairfield County and the region north into Litchfield. The heaviest rain is expected through 2 pm.

Power outages vary in townships where Yale faculty and staff live:  46% of Guilford is without power and 65% of Madison.  6710 residents in Milford are without power, and 826 in Woodbridge. The most recent report indicates  2,086 New Haven households are without power.  These numbers are expected to increase.  Given these power outages, I know that increasing numbers of individuals will not have access to these e-mail messages and thus we plan to send a Yale Alert in late afternoon with a summary report of the day's developments.

The 5:15 am report from the State of Connecticut Emergency Center is that the hurricane will make landfall in the Stamford area around 11 am and that “hurricane force wind gusts may arrive along the coast by 9 am.”  The State also reports that “After the passage of Irene, a second period of strong winds is likely this afternoon and early evening, with wind gusts to 65 mph at times.”

Linda Lorimer

3. Hurricane Update - 9:30 am

Several faculty and students living off-campus who have lost power (and thus TV coverage) but have Blackberry or other email service have asked that we post more regular updates about the storm, since these messages are their primary source of information.

The storm has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm (maximum winds of 70) and has made landfall in New York.  In the last hour, JFK airport posted winds of 54 mph, Bridgeport had 47 mph, and Willimantic 51 mph.  New Haven posted winds of 32 mph gusting to 41 mph, with the expectations of some increase in the next two hours.

However even with the downgrade, the situation poses hazard with increased power lines and trees down in New Haven.  For example a tree “hangs” on a power line next to the Yale Human Resources building at 221 Whitney Avenue and there is a live power line down in Parking Lot 51 (behind the Graduate Club and next to the Music School). Some of the tarps around construction sites are starting to blow loose and  Facilities will be working with the contractors to secure them as soon as it is safe to do so.  These conditions reinforce the importance of not walking around the campus.

Power outages have increased dramatically in the last two hours:
New Haven –13,400 residents without power
Woodbridge – 2,800
West Haven –4,000
East Haven -4,800
Hamden – 5,600

Branford – 47% of the residences without power
Guilford – 70%
Madison – 100% with power

Linda Lorimer

4.Goodnight Irene! And plans for tomorrow

Those of us in New Haven seem to have been mighty lucky relative to those to the west of us (where Bridgeport airport had over 6 inches of rain compared to our 3 inches in the City) or the east of us (where Old Saybrook and other shoreline towns took a beating) or to the north (where Durham had serious flooding).

We were lucky that Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm and moved so quickly out of New Haven. Overall, the University fared well. We have some downed trees on streets, courtyards and walkways as well as a few downed power lines. All Yale power plants are in full operation and we have power throughout campus, with only a few exceptions. There is no power at 142 and 149 Elm Street (with power likely to be restored there by the end of Monday); also power is out at  facilities at the Yale Bowl.

The City Emergency Operations Center is reporting minor property damage throughout the City, well over 1,000 trees down (including trees in parks) and about 17,000 residents without power. 

At this time, the City is asking residents to stay home, so that crews are able to clean up the fallen trees and other debris.   Even though the storm has passed, a few very large trees have fallen in just the last hour and the saturated ground and wind gusts may contribute to others still tumbling, so there is a need to take continued care.

Yale Facilities has crews out to clean up trees and branches, and the City also has crews out, with a first priority towards trees that have fallen on power lines and trees blocking streets.

Yale offices will be open for business as usual in the morning. We recognize there are some staff who may not be able to get to work because of conditions where they live. Those staff members who are not providing essential services may elect to take paid time off to cover their absence after conferral with their supervisor, and we are encouraging supervisors to grant this release whenever feasible.

The Yale Shuttle will resume operations tomorrow at 5 am.  Dining Services will resume operations tomorrow as planned with breakfast at Commons.

Thank you to all who did so much good preparation in advance of the storm, and especially to those who staffed our essential services last night and today!

Linda Lorimer

 

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