The coldest weather of the winter season so far is settling in on New England. Wind chill watches and warnings are also up for much of the weekend, with readings Saturday night expected to approach 35-below.
A HART Bus will be parked in front of 198 Main Street in Danbury as a place to warm up Saturday.
The Newtown Emergency Management Office is urging residents to be prepared for severe cold and make appropriate preparations. CH Booth Library, Edmund Town Hall, the Senior Center and the Municipal Center are open during their normal business hours. There is also a meeting scheduled for Noon on Saturday at the Municipal Center about the proposed Community Center. Newtown residents are being asked to check on any frail or elderly neighbors and to take steps to protect pets during this cold spell.
Bethel's Emergency Manager is urging town residents to take steps to prepare for the dangerously low temperatures forecast for this weekend. Tom Galliford says cold spells of this magnitude bring a risk of frostbite and hypothermia. The wind chill values could have frostbite set in in less than 30 minutes if proper precautions aren't taken. In addition, frozen pipes and overworked furnaces could leave homes without heat or running water.
Galliford urged residents not to use a stove or oven to heat the home, and not to use an open flame to melt frozen pipes. Galliford, who also serves as Bethel's Fire Marshall, says many house fires result from these practices.
Governor Malloy has activated the state's cold-weather shelter plan in advance of a cold snap that is expected to bring sub-zero temperatures to Connecticut. Under the plan, state officials will coordinate with Connecticut's network of shelters in an attempt to match the homeless with available beds through Monday morning.
The state's 2-1-1 system will coordinate placements and community-based providers will provide transportation for the homeless.
An Internet-based system will allow emergency management officials and first responders to share information and monitor capacity at shelters across the state.
