Batten Down Hatches, Madison, As Tropical Storm Elsa Approaches

MADISON, CT — In preparation for an incoming tropical storm, Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons announced all beaches and parks will be closed Friday until at least noon, all town-sponsored camps are cancelled, and town offices will be shuttered with office staff working remotely.

Lyons noted that Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to make landfall very early Friday morning with forecasted sustained winds of 35 to 40 MPH and gusts of 55 MPH or higher starting to increase beginning at daybreak, with peak wind speeds expected by mid-morning. With anticipated heavy rain from Elsa — three to five inches predicted — it's likely there will be minor to moderate flooding Friday morning.

Lyons noted that, "Strong winds combined with wet soils may cause widespread power outages in southeastern CT and more scattered power outages across the rest of the state."

As a result, she said, Madison's "Town Emergency Operations Team is making storm preparations and coordinating with Eversource for possible power outages."

The closures and cancellation are being done as a "precaution," Lyons said, adding that town office staff, who will be working remotely, will be accessible via phone and email during normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. until noon.

Lyons suggested that folks "contact Town departments today if you have any in-person service needs with Town so you can plan accordingly." Madison town offices have extended offices hours on Thursday’s until 6:30 p.m.

Lyons also asked residents to batten down their hatches, and expect power outages.

"It is important that all residents take the time now to secure loose items in your yard that have potential to be thrown around by wind or rising water, and to prepare for power outages and tree damage, potentially for an extended period of time," she said.

In a statement emailed to Patch Thursday afternoon, Eversource said it is "intensely focusing on preparations."

In a news briefing Thursday, Eversource president of Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom said the company is "prepositioning crews and equipment based on the latest storm information available and we’ll adjust our approach if necessary," adding that on a particularly thunder-stormy week, the power company has already "restored power to 80,000 customers."

"Trees are the number one cause of outages and winds of 35-45 mph are expected with this storm and will bring down limbs and branches onto electric lines so we encourage our customers to be prepared for outages as well," he said, noting Eversource "can’t control the weather and amount of damage the system will take, but we’re ready to respond as soon as we see an impact.”