Local Emergency Services Urge Snow Safety Precautions Amid Powerful Winter Storm; Closures and Old Lyme Parking Ban in Effect

LYME/OLD LYME, CT – Officials continue to respond to the largest blizzard to hit the area in years, with the storm expected to continue through the day.

Old Lyme Emergency Management Director Dave Roberge around 9 a.m. Monday urged residents to stay home while state and local plows attempted to get the situation under control.

“Plows are out but due to the accumulation of snow roads are impassable,” he said.

One power outage on Rowland Road was affecting 48 customers at the time, according to Roberge.

In Old Lyme, a town-wide parking ban for all vehicles, on all roads, is in place through Tuesday at 6 a.m.

The Lyme and Old Lyme town halls, transfer stations and Lymes’ Senior Center are closed Monday.  

CWPM Waste Removal and Recycling Services will collect Monday’s routes on Tuesday.

Town officials are calling on residents to take in trash and recycling bins or move them at least 10 feet from the road.

River Valley Transit services were suspended at 2 p.m. Sunday. The agency will monitor conditions Monday to determine when service will resume.

Old Lyme Fire Department on social media reminded residents to clear the snow from around their home’s furnace exhaust so it can properly ventilate. If it can’t, the furnace can stop working properly and carbon monoxide can back up into the home. Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include: headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, blurred vision, sleepiness, loss of muscle control, loss of consciousness.

The fire department emphasized generators should not be run it indoors, including in garages or sheds. Generators should be placed 20 feet away from the home, with the exhaust pointing away as best as possible.

Lyme EMS, with its active calendar of educational events, said shoveling can put serious strain on the heart. Suggestions for shovelers include:

• Take frequent breaks — don’t push through exhaustion

• Avoid heavy meals before or right after shoveling

• Use a smaller shovel or consider a snow blower

• Know the warning signs of a heart attack: chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness and listen to your body

• Do not drink alcohol before or after shoveling

• If you have a medical condition, talk with your doctor first

• Watch for signs of hypothermia: shivering, confusion, numbness

Lyme EMS emphasized CPR can save lives. Members of the public are invited to learn or brush up on their skills at a free Hands-Only CPR class on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hamburg Fire Station, 213 Hamburg Road. Click here for the details.