Release: Branford Police Urge Residents to Start Preparing for Hurrican Irene

The Town of Branford is actively monitoring Hurricane Irene and all town agencies are preparing for its arrival.

All Branford residents are urged to prepare for Hurricane Irene which is currently a category 3 hurricane. Irene’s tropical force winds are expected to affect Branford beginning late Saturday evening with its category 2 hurricane force winds arriving during the day on Sunday including wind gusts up to 120 mph. Heavy rains are forecasted with up to 10 inches of accumulations.

At this time there are no mandatory evacuations, however residents who live in flood plane areas must consider evacuation plans.

In the event that emergency sheltering is needed, the town will notify residents as to shelter locations prior to the storms arrival.

The town’s Evacuation and Sheltering Guide is available online at www.branford-ct.gov, and following the Office of Emergency Management link on the left side of the page and at the public libraries or click here. The guide offers a vast amount of preparedness information including the recommendation for families to be self sufficient for up to three days after the storm.

In addition, please go to our website at www.branfordpolice.com and follow the link. There you will be able to tailor the information you would like to receive in the future and register different ways to be notified including cell phones, pagers and email address.