Stratford Schools Closed Rest of Week

Updated Wednesday

Stratford public schools will be closed for the rest of the week and reopen on Monday, Nov. 5, according to a message on the school district's website.

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Our original story follows.

Stratford public schools will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 31, as the recovery and cleanup from Hurricane Sandy continues in Stratford.

As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, about 52 percent of Stratford was reported to be without power. That means there are 12,000 United Illuminating customers in town currently in the dark.

A UI executive told Patch that there are hundreds of crews, linemen and other staff now in full-fledged restoration mode.

"We have more resources on the ground yesterday than we did during the peak of (Tropical Storm) Irene," said Tony Marone, UI senior vice president, during a press conference on Tuesday.

The utility has over 300 line workers and tree crews on staff today as well as another 400 to 500 office support staff behind the scenes, Marone said.

Meanwhile, the Stratford Fire Department is urging residents to stay inside and away from the threat of downed power lines, trees and flooding-related debris.

"Unless it is an emergency please stay inside your home," the department is advocating. "Many streets are still unpassable due to these conditions."