HURRICANE SANDY GAINING INTENSITY AND MOVING TOWARDS THE NEW JERSEY COAST…HIGH WIND WARNINGS IN AFFECT FOR ALL OF  CT…
FLOOD WARNINGS IN AFFECT FOR COASTAL CT…MAJOR TO RECORD COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE…
 Current Storm Surge at Bridgeport of 4.2 feet above normal…
Current Storm Surge at New London of 4.7 feet above normal…CL&P and UI are reporting 29,000 outages at this time…
 Winds are from the Northeast at 30 MPH gusting to near 60 MPH…
Wind Gust on Long Island to near 70 MPH during the past hour… 
At 2:00 PM the center of Hurricane Sandy was located near 38.3 North 72.1  West (110 Miles Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey).  Hurricane Sandy has maximum sustained winds of 90 MPH and is moving to the Northwest at 28 MPH.   Sandy is currently a Strong Category I Hurricane.   
The National Hurricane Center is forecasting that Sandy will continue to the Northwest during the next 3 hours.  The storm is forecast to continue to intensify and grow in size as the storm interacts with an approaching winter type storm system.  Sandy is forecast to move Northwest to a position near the south coast of New Jersey by 5:00 PM this afternoon. 
High Wind Warnings remain in effect for very strong winds sustained at 40 – 60 MPH and gusting to 60 – 85 MPH along the coast and in the higher elevations at times.  Coastal Flood Warnings have been issued for the potential for major to record coastal flooding.   The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection continue to monitor the latest forecasts and will issue another update on Sandy at 5:30 PM afternoon

From Mayor Moccia:Monday, October 29, 2012 9:00 a.m.
________________________________________Storm briefing:

The City of Norwalk has activated its Emergency Operations Center.
Two command posts have been established to assist with evacuations.Schools have been closed today and tomorrow and Wednesday.
Residents in low lying flood prone areas are encouraged to evacuate now. If you are in a flood zone move vehicles to higher ground. Maritime Garage is open and free.If you choose to stay put, secure your surroundings. Emergency response and rescue may not be available during the storm.
National Guard has been activated and staged at Norwalk Armory.The Emergency Shelter is open Brien McMahon High School. The shelter will remain open until further notice for overnight shelter, showers, breakfast and dinner, charging electronic devices. If you use a public shelter, be sure to bring needed medications and personal items with you.
Norwalk Hospital has received inquiries from people requesting shelter. The Hospital is NOT a shelter. Connect with family, friends or utilize the City Shelters that have been set up for this purpose. Norwalk Hospital must focus on caring for the sick and injured.Stay off the roads if possible.
Power and utility outages are anticipated.Garbage collection is suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday pickup will replace Tuesday and Wednesday.
Norwalk Transit service has been suspended.City Parks are closed.
911 is to be used for emergency purposes only. Please do not use 911 except in emergency.Report issues to City Customer Service 203 854 3200
To report outage or find out restoration estimate contact local provider: CL&P at 800-286-2000,
SNEW at 203-866-3366Third TD at 203- 866-9271

Forecast:
Expect full category three flooding. Plan for full category 4 flooding. This could mean high tide levels up to 6 feet above flood stage.Winds: Gale force winds are expected to continue through the day. Expect near hurricane force winds over water this afternoon, with 60-80 mph gusts. Expect some of these winds to hit coastal areas. Sustained winds are expected through midnight—approximately 9 hours of consistent high winds. By tomorrow morning winds are expect to drop to tropical storm velocity and below tropical storm velocity by tomorrow afternoon.
A record high tide is expected around midnight. Record flooding is expected at that time. Priority storm response:
1. Public safety—matters of life and death. 2. Making roads passable.
3. Be aware of threat of Carbon Monoxide. Don’t use heaters, stoves or generators in unventilated areas.4. Restoration of power and public utilities.
Restoration of lost power will commence AFTER the storm has subsided. Do not approach downed lines; report them. CL&P has requested 2,000 outside lineworkers; more than 1,000 have arrived with more en route to Connecticut.

We will continue to update the City's main webpage as well as our facebook page: www.facebook.com/NorwalkOEM

Residents who would like to update or add information into our notification system, can click below: Code Red Notification System