Malloy Urges Shoreline Governments: Force Evacuations if Possible

Update 9:30 p.m.:

Gov. Malloy, in an evening news conference, has Connecticut residents in the flood prone areas near the shoreline to move to higher areas in their homes.

Malloy agreed with a reporter saying that his latest warning is "startling."

Updated article:

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has strongly urged local governments to force people out of homes in danger of flooding from Hurricane Sandy.

Here is a news release just issued by the Governor's Office (the governor will also hold a news conference at 9:15 p.m., his office announced):

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, based on the most recent data from the National Weather Service which suggests that the strong possibility exists for historic flooding at high tide later tonight, convened an emergency call at approximately 8:15 p.m. with the mayors and first selectmen of the coastal towns that comprise the state’s Regions 1 and 2.

The data suggests that each town should immediately evacuate people for what is known as a Category 4 event, the highest possible warning. 

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See also: Hurricane Sandy News Center for Darien, a central spot for Darien Patch's coverage of the expected storm. You can bookmark the page and quickly find all of our coverage, organized to help you get to it quicker and easier.

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The towns primarily concerned are in Region 1: Bridgeport, Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford and Westport.  Other towns of substantial concern are in Region 2: Branford, Guilford, Clinton, East Haven, Madison, Milford, New Haven, Old Saybrook, West Haven, and Westbrook.

“I’ve told the mayors and first selectmen that they have no time to waste,” said Governor Malloy.   “To the extent they have the ability to order mandatory evacuations I’ve told them must give this their highest priority.  I was concerned all along about the potential destructive impact of this last high tide, and unfortunately the best information we have confirms my worst fears.”

“I’m concerned about all these towns, but I’m especially concerned about the towns from Greenwich to Bridgeport.  Those are municipalities with large population centers that are in harm’s way.  I told those municipal leaders that these people need to be evacuated, and I they need to be evacuated now.”

“The situation is dire.”