Live Blog: "Right Now Everyone Is A Little Overwhelmed"

The latest prediction for Hurricane Irene as forecast by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security has the storm making landfall as a “minimal Category I hurricane” near Stamford at about 11 a.m. today. Hurricane force winds are scheduled to hit the coast at 8 a.m., with heavy rainfall also occurring.

Live updates will be posted here as well as on our , Twitter, and Facebook page. We welcome you to add any photos or videos of the storm’s effect on your neighborhood to this page, as well as comments about road blockages, flooding, or other hazards.

Storm conditions

12:01 p.m.: Added photos from Reid Burdick. Feel free to add your own.

11:49 a.m.: Numerous reports of fallen trees, branches, and wires are keeping municipal workers busy this morning. “Things are getting very busy in New London…We just have an enormous amount of trees, branches, and lines down," said emergency management director Reid Burdick. "Right now everyone is a little overwhelmed." Burdick said emergency crews are working to ensure public safety, including keeping people off the wall on Pequot Ave. to avoid strong waves carrying debris, and the is trying to clear fallen trees and limbs. He said Connecticut Light and Power will being repairing the electrical grid once storm conditions die down.

Residents are still advised to stay off the road unless there is an emergency situation.

11:07 a.m.: Terrible road conditions in many areas, including Montauk Ave. and Cedar Grove Ave. Coastal areas especially hazardous. Reported tree on wires and house, with no structural damage, at 20 Grand Street.

10:52 a.m.: According to a resident following emergency communications, the New London Fire Department has asked the to remove any sightseers from the Pequot Avenue area, where there is heavy surf. Online emergency communications for New London are available here. The latest report from the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security says winds were gusting at a maximum of 51 miles per hour in New London at 9 a.m. this morning. Tropical Storm Irene will be moving through the state until approximately noon or 1 p.m., and a second period of strong west and northwest winds will follow in the evening.

10:39 a.m.: Connecticut Light and Power is reporting over 486,000 without power, and United Illuminating says about 100,000 of their customers have lost electricity. One of the customers no longer illuminated is this editor, who is updating using a portable wireless device and battery power but will likely relocate to the emergency shelter at the to continue to work.

10:12 a.m.: Added a video from Paul Petrone at the Waterford Patch, showing massive waves on Guthrie Point in southern New London.

9:42 a.m.: New London Fire Department has been responding to multiple calls of trees or wires down. Latest calls say a wire is down at 353 Ocean Ave. and another line is down on an occupied vehicle at .

9:28 a.m.: The storm photos showing conditions on Lower Boulevard, Gardener Ave., and Guthrie Beach were submitted by Patch blogger Shannon Brenek. Feel free to upload your own photos and videos to this article.

9:16 a.m.: According to the Huffington Post, Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm via reports from the National Weather service and an Air Force hurricane hunter plane. The center of the storm moved over New York City at about 9 a.m. with wind intensity at 65 miles per hour.

9:10 a.m.: Request on the scanner says public address systems should be used shortly to broadcast order for residents to stay off the streets. This includes vehicle traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians. Residents should remain indoors unless they need to leave for emergency reasons.

8:53 a.m.: Scanner traffic says emergency responders are dealing with power line issue around 555 Bank Street, wind is causing difficulties in blocking off roads. "We tried the barricades, Chief, but they blew away."

8:48 a.m.: Gov. Dannel Malloy has put a tractor trailer ban on all state roads and closed the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways. "The storm is beginning to make its way through the state, and there is absolutely no reason to be out on the roads" said Gov. Malloy. "There are substantial concerns about driver safety and we need to keep the roads clear for emergency personnel," Malloy says. Department of Transportation cameras show some traffic on I-95, but the highway is largely deserted.

8:31 a.m.: Some problems will not be addressed until storm dies down. Light is out at Bank and Howard, and city electricians cannot fix it due to high winds. Burdick says power crews will take similar approach in restoring electricity. To report outage, call Connecticut Light and Power at 1-800-286-2000.

8:24 a.m.: Report of window blown out at 38 State Street, the address for .

8:08 a.m.: Connecticut Light and Power outage map shows swath of 80-100 percent outages from New Haven inland toward Glastonbury. in New London. As of 8 a.m., about a quarter of state residents are without power (322,076 customers). In New London, 11 percent of the city is without power (1,540 customers).

8:01 a.m.: Emergency management director Reid Burdick says the city has closed roads to all non-essential traffic due to hazardous conditions such as fallen limbs and wires. Fifty-four people are at the shelter.

7:48 a.m.: Battalion chief describes storm conditions as "awful," says eight calls have come in since 7:05. Report of tree into house at 273 Ocean Ave. around midnight.

Emergency shelter

The Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter at the and is scheduled to keep it in operation through Monday morning. The shelter is providing cots, drinks and snacks, and shower and bathroom facilities, as well as a generator in the event of a power loss. A registered nurse will be on hand, and those using the shelter must fill out information and health forms. The capacity is 110 people.

New London shelter manager Norma Pabon said anyone using the shelter should bring their own pillows, blankets, and personal items. If you need a ride to the shelter, call 860-514-7455.

New London emergency management director Reid Burdick said an online emergency operations center is also running at the site to provide the shelter with alerts on weather, significant events in the region, public health reports, and other updates.

Closings, cancellations, and delays

Amtrak has cancelled all service along the Northeast Corridor, which runs between Boston and Washington, D.C. and stops at .

All ferry departures from New London, including and , have been cancelled.

Curbside trash and recycling pickup for Monday has been suspended until further notice.

Downtown residents may park free of charge in the for the duration of the storm.

The opening day for faculty at , scheduled for Monday, has been cancelled.

has postponed their first day of school to Tuesday.

All state parks and campgrounds, including , are closed today.

has delayed their opening days. New students will now arrive on Thursday and returning students on Saturday or Sunday. The first day of classes will occur on Sept. 5 rather than Thursday. Limited staffing and programming will be available for students who are unable to chance their plans.

classes, previously scheduled to begin on Tuesday, will now begin on Thursday. Orientation activities will continue as planned, although some scheduled to occur outside have been moved indoors. Students in the waterfront residential halls have been temporarily relocated to dormitories on DeBiasi Drive. Move-in day has been postponed until Wednesday.

Access to will only be through the main entrance and Faire Harbour entrance.

and have cancelled Sunday services.