[UPDATED 6 p.m.] Town Offers Water, Ice, Charging Station [PHOTOS]

6 p.m.

Chief of staff Marc Dillon reports the following:

For Stratford residents without power, bottled water, ice, potable water, and a charging station will be available at the Oronoque Fire Station (200 Oronoque Lane) at the following times: Friday 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Please bring your own container for the potable water and a proper ID.

Also, Stratford parks and beaches will be open this weekend, with the exception of the parking lot at Long Beach, which will remain closed due to storm damage.

Friday, 9:15 a.m.

The town's transfer station will be open extended hours today, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As of 7 a.m. Friday, 1,710 UI customers in town were still without power, a figure that equates to 7 percent of the utility's subscribers in Stratford, United Illuminating has reported.

Neighboring towns Milford and Bridgeport both had 4 percent of its residents off the grid, UI reported at 7 a.m.

4:45 p.m.

Metro-North has begun operating on a Sunday schedule for its New Haven line as of 4 p.m., the MTA reports.

12:30 p.m.

According to the MTA's website, "Metro-North Railroad is expected to begin operating limited service this afternoon." However, there is still significant damage to the system, including three mudslides, the MTA reports.

Click here to read the latest.

Monday, 9:30 a.m.

Municipal buildings in Stratford are closed today. Chief of staff Marc Dillon advises that director-level employees and emergency shelter support staff only should report to work.

Bunnell High School remains open as a shelter for essential emergency services only.

10:30 p.m.

Chief of staff Marc Dillon is reporting that the water main break on Beaver Dam Road has been fixed and water is expected to be drinkable again "in short order." His advice for affected residents is to let the tap run until the water is clear before drinking.

10 p.m.

A reminder that Stratford schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 29.

In addition to regular trash pickup tomorrow, brush, branches and debris from the weekend storm will be collected by Public Works crews on Monday and each weekday this week, according to chief of staff Marc Dillon. Town officials ask that the brush be placed curbside with branches cut down to no longer than four feet.

Metro-North service remains suspended for Monday. The MTA reports that there is "no signal power on the New Haven Line likely due to fallen trees and downed power lines." Click here for the latest.

Reports of a water main break on Beaver Dam Road have Councilman David Fuller (@CouncilmanDave) tweeting: "due to the water main break by Beaver Dam, do not drink the tap water out of your sinks."

In a later tweet after 10 p.m., Fuller said a reverse 911 call went out to the residents affected by the water main break, which urged them to drink bottled or filtered water instead of drinking from the tap.

7:15 p.m.

UI reports that 35 percent of Stratford is without power.

3:15 p.m.

United Illuminating reported at 2:30 p.m. that 36 percent of its customers in Stratford are without power. That's 8,400 out of 23,053 subscribers.

3 p.m.

Two unoccupied cottages on West Beach Drive have been destroyed, according to chief of staff Marc Dillon.

12:15 p.m.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has announced that both the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways are open again, albeit with "extensive delays" from lane closures needed to clean up storm debris.

Still, the governor is urging non-emergency vehicles to keep off the roads.

11:45 a.m.

UI reports 8,577 power outages in Stratford. Click here to see their outage map (it's been working on and off recently).

11:30 a.m.

Currently there are 4,000 Stratford homes without power, and 52 people at the town-operated shelter at Bunnell High School, according to chief of staff Marc Dillon.

11 a.m.

High tide, which will arrive in Stratford at 11:25, could spell major problems for Stratford, said chief of staff Marc Dillon.

Storm surge flooding has been reported for shoreline areas of Lordship and the Birdseye boat launch, but the worst effects of Irene might come in the next two hours with high tide, said Dillon.

10:30 a.m.

Several dozen limbs and trees down in Stratford, no reported injuries, according to chief of staff Marc Dillon. 

10 a.m.

Irene downgraded to a tropical storm. Flooding, wind still major concerns.

Sunday, 9 a.m.

The mayor's chief of staff Marc Dillon reports the following:

Following the storm, all Stratford schools will be closed on Monday. A decision on municipal buildings will be made later today.

Exit 30 on I-95 southbound is closed due to flooding.

As of early this morning, 40 people were taking refuge at the town-operated shelter at Bunnell High.

United Illuminating reports 1,906 power outages in Stratford at 9 a.m.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in a press conference this morning announced that the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways were closed until further notice.

"The storm is beginning to make its way through the state, and there is absolutely no reason to be out on the roads," said Malloy around 7 a.m. "There are substantial concerns about driver safety and we need to keep the roads clear for emergency personnel."

Stratford Patch will continue to provide updates as they are made available. If you see or hear anything, please leave a comment below.