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Intense Storms Cause Power Outages, Road Closures

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Intense, swift-moving thunderstorms, which bore heavy rains and strong winds, passed through Newtown on the afternoon and evening of Monday, July 25, bringing down tree limbs and electric lines, resulting in scattered power outages and temporary road closures.

The two lines of thunderstorms, which hit Newtown at about 3:30 pm and after 7 pm, caused about 2,000 electric customer power outages overall, according to Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross. All power was restored by early Tuesday morning, he said.

There were no reported injuries due to storm damage.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said that about a dozen trees or tree sections fell onto local roads, causing temporary road closures. About half of those fallen trees had brought down electric lines with them, he said.

Town crews were able to remove the trees not entangled with electric lines by about 6 pm, but needed to wait until Eversource crews arrived to remove fallen trees that had brought down electric lines with them, Mr Hurley said.

In a close call, about 3:29 pm, a young local woman was driving a 2000 Nissan Altima compact car westward on Berkshire Road, just west of its intersection with High Rock Road, when a tree limb fell onto the vehicle's hood and also broke through the front windshield, police said.

The impact sprayed broken glass into the vehicle's cabin. But fortunately, neither the driver nor two female passengers were injured, police said.

Between 3:29 and 11:26 pm, police received reports of eight public hazards having occurred in various parts of town.

Sandy Hook Fire Chief Bill Halstead said that at 6:09 pm, Sandy Hook volunteer firefighters responded to 31 Riverside Road for a report of a tree having fallen onto a house there.

Also, at 12:53 am on Tuesday, Sandy Hook volunteers responded to 17 Round Hill Road in Riverside for a storm-weakened tree that had fallen onto a house and an adjacent commercial truck, he said. That impact punctured the house's roof, damaged its gutters, and also damaged the truck, he said.

Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia said that at about 3:30 pm, a tree fell, bringing down apparently live electric lines onto Button Shop Road in the area between its intersections with South Main Street and Little Brook Lane. That incident closed that road section until the debris could be safely removed, he said.

A road closure also occurred near the intersection of High Rock Road and New Lebbon Road about 5:25 pm, due to a tree having fallen on electric lines, Chief Ciaccia said.

Hook & Ladder, Hawleyville, and Dodgingtown volunteer firefighters also responded to calls during the storms.

There were about a dozen storm-related fire calls overall.

The Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company responded early on the morning of Tuesday, July 26, to 17 Round Hill Road in the Riverside section, where a storm-weakened tree had fallen onto a house and commercial truck. There were no injuries in the incident, fire officials said. (Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company photo)
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