Volume 19, Number 45 Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
www.TownTimes.com
Friday, Februar y 15, 2013
Historic snowfall covers Durham and Middlefield By Mark Dionne The Town Times
The blizzard that arrived in Connecticut on Friday, Feb. 8, and didn’t leave until the next day dumped record amounts of snow on Durham and Middlefield and required massive cleanup operations. Close to three feet of snow was reported in Durham and Middlefield, but strong winds created much higher snow drifts in places. The snow was deep enough to choke snow blowers, engulf private plows, and even stall backhoes. Both towns declared a state of emergency and their first selectmen encouraged residents to stay off the roads even after Gov. Malloy lifted the travel ban. Around noon on Saturday, Durham residents received a Durham Emergency Management automated call from
First Selectman Laura Francis advising residents to stay off the roads. The call also advised homeowners not to tackle too much snow removal at once because in the event of trouble, emergency vehicles might not be able to make it to all homes. Despite the enormous amount of snow, power outages were not a large problem locally. At noon on Saturday, only two of 3,082 Connecticut Light & Power customers were without electricity in Durham, according to CL&P’s website, and all of Middlefield had power. The weight of the snow collapsed a barn on Jackson Hill Road in Middlefield. Four cows were euthanized because of their injuries, while others were pulled from the wrecked building by volunteer firefighters and
Photo by Mark Dionne
Rain forecasted for Monday after the Blizzard of 2013 threatened to add weight to already burdened structures, such as the rooftop of Brenda’s Main Street Feed. Members of the Durham Fair Association, which own the building, clear snow off the roof in the darkness of Sunday night. See more photos page 4.
See Storm, page 4
Disaster novel previews blizzard at Strong School Reads By Mark Dionne The Town Times What happened to the weather? What if the snow just doesn’t stop? How much time can I spend trapped with my family? Many in Durham and Middlefield asked those questions over the weekend Photo by Mark Dionne
Calendar ........................10 Government ....................8
during the Blizzard of 2013. Some students and community members asked those questions three days earlier
Obituary ........................17 Schools...........................21 Seniors...........................12 Sports.............................22
See Previews, page 2
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Strong School Reads participants Sarah Collins, Hailee Corona, Jackson Volenec, and Connor Sullivan won raffle prizes from Carmine’s Pizza and Perk on Main.
In this issue ...