Good Night, Irene

by Christopher D. LaTorracaa ◊ Sep 02, 2011

After all the hype by the media, Hurricane Irene never lived up to the predictions that it was going to be the storm of the century. By the time the storm reached Hamden, it was downgraded to a tropical storm. However, this still doesn’t minimize the damage it caused and the disruption of the lives of thousands of residents. As of September 1, there was still over ten percent of the town out of power, according to United Illuminating Company. 

Many have grown frustrated over the last couple of days. “ I can’t believe it’s taking so long to get the lights up and running,” one shopper at the plaza exclaimed. Others felt fortunate. “We were lucky. We never lost power and only a few small branches came down,” a resident of Blue Hills Avenue shared with The Hamden Journal.

For those who have gotten in their cars and driven around, a five minute trip could turn into an adventure. Major streets, like Shepard, Mix, and Evergreen avenues, were blocked off because of large trees being uprooted. But, for the most part, the damage was fairly minimal compared to what was predicted.

Forecasters claimed that this was going to be worse than Hurricane Gloria, which caused over one billion dollars worth of damage back in 1986, according to the Hartford Courant. No one is complaining that is for sure.

For most, things are getting back to normal. For some that I’ve talked to, they sound almost guilty because they didn’t lose power while their neighbor down the street did.

Items, like the new school year, will be pushed back until after Labor Day, the parks have some major puddles, and the cleanup of branches and trees will continue into next week.

Hamden “dodged a bullet” this time. Will we be this fortunate next time around? Who knows, but after a 5.9 earthquake that shook the east coast and a category one hurricane, we can sure use a break.

Photo 1:  Crews working on Mix Avenue on Sunday, August 28, to clean up residue from Hurricane Irene. 
Photo 2:  Fox sleeping in West Woods neighborhood the day after Hurricane Irene.
Photo 3:  Tree blocking path for runners, walkers, and bicyclists on the Farmington Canal.