Tonight WTNH and the Branford Eagle reported that the will be evacuated, effective tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. A police boat, the Eagle reported, will be touring the Islands announcing to all residents that they must evacuate or stay at their own risk. A news source on Twitter reported that the Fire Department will be headed out to the Islands to ask those opting to stay, to sign releases. Fire Chief Jack Ahern stated that Marine 5 (the Stony Creek Volunteer Company 5's boat) will head out at 8 a.m. today to warn residents of the dangers of staying.Training Officer, Captain Rick Hart also noted that last summer, when we were under a storm watch, which eventually fizzled, the Islanders were also asked to leave.
If you've ever taken a tour boat ride through the Thimbles, you'd know the waters can be dangerous. of the Volsunga IV shared last weekend on one of his cruises, that a deadly storm surge caused by the Hurricane of '38 took several lives and wiped homes from the Islands.
John Kirby wrote a detailed history of Branford's Hurricane past, which you can read online. When mentioning the devastation hurricane of '38 he wrote, "The Death and destruction from this hurricane was the most severe in the history of Branford’s 350 years."
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With winds estimated to be 80 to 100 mph, Kirby wrote, "The most tragic victims of the storm were seven people on the Thimble Islands who lost their lives when their cottages were swept into the raging seas. There were 82 killed in Connecticut and 682 in New England."
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