Except for power loss, Cornwall fared OK

CORNWALL — An assessment of Tropical Storm Irene’s impact on Cornwall shows residents and visitors fared as well as could be expected — except for being the only town in the region where everyone lost power.Lots of pre-planning by emergency personnel and the highway department was credited for a quick recovery. Crews assembled at both firehouses, and a close eye was kept on Cornwall Consolidated School, where a small fire the day before the storm hit had disabled the fire alarm system. The town’s mass notification system was put into service for the first time.First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said that by 7:30 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 28) about a dozen roads were blocked by fallen trees. Luckily, there were no medical emergencies. By afternoon, the fire department had responded to about 20 homes to pump out basements.The worst of it was the partial destruction of a bridge on Lower River Road (see story this page).As soon as the storm moved out, the town crew reopened River Road in West Cornwall by shoring up a washout at the Mill Brook bridge approach. Most roads were open Monday. The rest of the week was spent repairing washouts. Highway Department Foreman Jim Vanicky said no dirt roads were washed out.Crews from Michigan and Florida arrived to put power lines back in order. Power restored to a residence on River Road at noon Friday was believed to be the last outage.

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