Cleaning up after the storm

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Workers clean up a split tree in front of a house on Prospect Street in Naugatuck Tuesday afternoon. –LUKE MARSHALL

With the worst of the Superstorm Sandy over, the cleanup has begun.

Naugatuck Mayoral Aide Ed Carter said the cleanup effort is currently underway. The borough’s Public Works Department is currently clearing the roadways of fallen trees and branches.

“Public Works is doing their best making sure all roads are passable,” Carter said.

Connecticut Light and Power also has a crew of linemen that is working on the power lines in Naugatuck, Carter said.

The number of people without power in Beacon Falls and Naugatuck rose slightly between Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon. According to CL&P’s outage map, Naugatuck has 1,365 power outages while Beacon Falls has 331. The number of outages dropped slightly to 134 in Prospect.

Naugatuck employees and CL&P crews were expected to finish clearing fallen power lines and trees Tuesday, according to Naugatuck Mayor Robert Mezzo, who added that after that is done, linemen can begin restoring power.

Carter said that the recycling center on Rubber Avenue will be open on Thursday for residents to bring the branches that had fallen in their yards.

According to Mezzo’s blog, charging stations for cell phones and other electronic devices are open at Naugatuck YMCA, 284 Church St., Naugatuck fire headquarters, 41 Maple St., and the Hop Brook Golf Course pro shop, 615 North Church St.

Naugatuck residents without power may also take showers at City Hill Middle School, 441 City Hill St., until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Residents who have emergency needs for overnight shelter should call (203) 723-4362.

As of Tuesday morning, Naugatuck school administrators planned to open schools Wednesday on a normal schedule, Mezzo wrote on his blog.

Halloween Village at the public works department is closed again Tuesday. Mezzo did not make any recommendations against trick-or-treating Wednesday but urged residents to exercise caution.

It was unclear as of this post whether schools in Region 16 will remain closed Wednesday.

Clean up efforts have been happening throughout the storm in Beacon Falls and Prospect.

Beacon Falls First Selectman Gerard Smith said that the emergency operations center at Beacon Hose Company No. 1 was staffed through the night with firefighters, Community Emergency Response Team members, and volunteers.

According to Smith, whenever a tree would come down, teams would clear it from the roadways.

“Trees would come down in waves and people would dispatch out,” Smith said. “People did above and beyond.”

To help facilitate a quick cleanup, Smith said that the brush pile located at the Public Works Department will be open Monday through Friday through Nov. 30 for residents to bring their storm debris. There will be no curbside pick-up of storm debris.

As of Tuesday morning, Prospect Mayor Robert Chatfield said that the only road that was still closed was Holly Lane, due to a telephone wire across it. It was reopened later in the day.

Trees had also fallen in the vicinity of Cook Road, Cheshire Road, and Laura Lane. All three of those roads are now open.

Chatfield pointed out that the town had the lowest number of power outages in CL&P’s western region.

He attributed that to all of the storm preparation work, such as trimming trees, the town had undertaken throughout the year.