The Town of Winchester is preparing to respond to the high wind and heavy rain weather event that is forecasted to affect us overnight on December 24th into December 25th, according to Emergency Management Director Steve Williams.
All of our public safety departments and our Department of Public Works are prepared to respond to the problems that arise from the storm.
The Emergency Operations Center will initially be remotely partially activated for the storm. We will monitor the situation and upgrade to a full activation if needed.
Eversource has designated a liaison to work with the Town on power outages. Eversource has indicated they will not be able to commence restoration during the period of high winds for safety reasons. They will begin responding to reports of downed lines and power outages once the winds have subsided below 40MPH.
The current forecast is calling for three to four inches of rainfall for the storm.
A flood watch is in effect and a high wind warning is in effect for winds gusting to 60+ mph overnight into Christmas Day.
The Winsted Fire Department will have a hose for potable water and an extension cord for charging cell phones near the flagpole of Station #1 at 27 Elm Street
The Winchester Center Fire House will have a hose out for potable water and the U.S. Post Office next to the Winchester Grange can be used for charging cell phones.
Both facilities will have these items available from 8AM to 6 PM daily.
Copies of Town press releases will be posted at the following locations daily for those unable to access social media or if the internet goes down for an extended time:
- Town Hall Front Door, 338 Main Street
- Winsted Fire Station #1, 27 Elm Street
- Inside the U.S. Post Office in Winchester Center
Please note the next press release will be issued on Christmas Day once assessments have been made about conditions in town.