More than 80-percent of the town remained without power Monday at about 3:30 p.m., a slight increase from earlier in the day, officials said.
Tree removal prompted the need to cut electricity in some areas in order to better manage the process, town officials said. Two utility crews are at work but with more than two dozen roads impassable and hundreds with some tree or blockage in the roadway, the restoration was going slowly.
"We are staying on track with the priority schedule: open roads so that emergency vehicles can access; open access to and re-power the sewage treatment plant; open main roads to facilitate traffic," First Selectman Pat Llodra said in a press release.
With much of the town out of power and well systems not operating, residents who need to take a shower can head to Reed Intermediate School, officials said. Masonicare at Newtown, formerly known as Ashlar, on Toddy Hill Road also is offering use of showers at its facility, Llodra said, adding that the offer came from nursing home director John Sweeney.
No showers are available at Newtown High School, which had been the official town shelter but ran into problems with its electricity and generator, according to officials.
Newtown public schools will be closed Tuesday and will re-open Wednesday unless power remains out and the number of impassable roads remains high, Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson said in a message to parents and students Monday.
"Thirty-three roads and in town are blocked and we must cancel the first day of schools tomorrow," Robinson said in the message sent at about 11 a.m., adding that the district is in contact with town officials on the progress of restoration efforts. "If Wednesday must also be canceled, you will be notified this time tomorrow. Above all we want our students to be safe. Thank you and hopefully we will be able to start school tomorrow."
All school activities, including sports tryouts, also have been canceled for Tuesday. See nighthawksports.com for more information.
Many roadways remain closed, particularly back roads while all main roads at the town's border are open, officials said. Residents who must get out from their homes and need help navigating, may call dispatch at 203-270-4200 and ask if a particular road is open but bear in mind staff are taking many calls and fielding emergency response system as well, officials said. For information on power restoration, call Connecticut Light & Power instead at 800-286-2000.
Above all, don't go down roads that have been roped off due to downed power lines and dangerous conditions.
Residents who are running low on water can visit their closest fire house in , , , and for water, although they wil have to bring their own containers.
Cleanup for Tropical Storm Irene continues with the town opening up the landfill's debris section to residents on Monday, a day on which it is normally closed. Newtown residents can bring their debris to the landfill area after noon on Monday, officials said. All other areas of the transfer station will be closed.
Meanwhile, all town parks and recreation facilities are closed to the public due to power outages and storm damage, officials said. That includes the Treadwell and Tilson turf fields, the pool and bathroom at Treadwell Park, the bathroom at Dickinson Park and the beach and facilities at Eichler's Cove.
The number of outages in town has dipped below 75-percent as of 9:45 a.m., First Selectman Pat Llodra said in a statement released shortly before 10 a.m.
More Connecticut Light & Power crews are expected to join the two that are already in town starting on restoration work, she said. The crews will hit priority areas first, such as areas completely cut off from emergency personnel access, before proceeding to other areas, Llodra said. Officials do not know when complete restoration will be completed, she said.
Many roads remain unpassable and officials ask residents to respect signs and yellow tape blocking access to roadways, saying that those streets have downed power lines and other conditions that make passage dangerous.
At the start of Monday, nearly 9,000 Connecticut Light & Power customers -- or about 80-percent of the town -- were without power.
Two line crews arrived in town Sunday afternoon and began assessing the situation.
Several roadways remain closed throughout town and travel is difficult in light of downed trees and utility lines. Officials have not released a list of closed roadways, citing the number of closures and restoration work that is starting.
Newtown, Monroe, Redding, Ridgefield were among some of the hardest hit in our region with more than 80-percent of the towns without power as of Monday. The forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the week, which will help with restoration work.
Officials said residents should plan for power to be out for multiple days, and possibly for the week.
While the rainfall is over, about 7-inches of rain were recorded to have fallen as a result of Tropical Storm Irene, which puts the region at risk for flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
The Housatonic River at the Stevenson Dam was observed to be already at 18-feet. Flood stage is 11-feet.
In light of the conditions, all school activities for Monday have been canceled, which include sports tryout.
Town employees have been asked to report to work at 8:30 a.m. on Monday barring personal or safety concerns, which should be reported to their supervisor, according to a message posted on the town's website. The Municipal Center, as of Sunday, had full power.
Correction: Town employees are to report to work on Monday. An earlier version of this article, including the correction, gave the wrong day.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with information and will continue to be as conditions change.
