WATERBURY, Vt. -
In less than a day Hurricane Sandy will make its presence felt across Vermont. With the storm threatening the entire New England region, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin issued a state of Emergency. He held a press conference today at the Emergency Operations Center in Waterbury on the state's preparations.
The governor said that sandy would be a completely different storm than Irene .
"In Vermont we do not expect the kind of flooding that we saw from Irene. It's not going to be that kind of weather event," Gov. Shumlin said.
Instead wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph are likely to pound the state. One of the main threats during the storm will be fallen trees that land on power lines and cut off electricity. Yard signs could become flying missiles which is why it would be a good time to take them down now.
One Emergency Management officer said that Rutland would be the "ground zero" of the storm in Vermont.
The Northeast Kingdom and across the spine of the green mountains are also likely to see strong winds lasting for 10 to 12 hours when Sandy hits. It's why emergency personnel and electric company crews are preparing across the state.
"We've deployed our emergency management folks to handle any challenge they may face," Gov. Shumlin said.
After the governor declared a state of emergency at noon Sunday the Vermont National Guard is ready and waiting to help too. Federal aid would also be available if there is severe damage but the Shumlin administration is not expecting that to happen, even though a state of emergency was declared.
"That does not mean that I'm expecting the worst. What it means is that we're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," Gov. Shumlin said.
The governor did not say that schools should be canceled in the coming days but that each school district should determine on their own whether it's worth keeping students home. In North Country New York state Bushton-Moira Central School District, Crown Point Central School District, St. Lawrence Central, Ticonderoga Central, Ticonderoga Elementary, Middle and High school will all close at 1 PM.
