Stories of the Storm: Meriden Residents Share Their Experiences of Hurricane Irene

From hotel stays to meatball methods of powering the TV, Meriden residents are dealing with power outages and downed trees in Hurricane Irene's aftermath. We collected some stories from your friends and neighbors – and one tree crew all the way from Michigan – about how they're getting on.

Raven Cohen

Raven Cohen’s mother woke up to water flooding into her bedroom on Sunday morning.

“It was scary,” Raven said.

When the power went out, the sump pump shut off, causing four inches of water to pool in the ground-level room at 104 Prann Court, near the Wallingford line.

And Irene wasn’t content to merely cause damage inside the home where the 23-year-old lives with her mother and brother. “Half of my deck was destroyed,” she told Patch during a break from her work as a Target cashier. The deck that once wrapped around her swimming pool is now collapsed beside it. It happened while they were sleeping.

“It’s funny because we didn’t even hear it,” she said.

Wright Tree Service Crew - On the corner of Hanover Street and Winthrop Terrace were two huge Wright Tree Service trucks blocked off by orange cones. This was their 10th job of the day said the crew members who are a long way from their Jackson, Michigan home. Ryan Jackson, a crew member, says they are only here for the hurricane clean up but can’t be sure how long they will be.

“We get subcontracted by the power company to come out and remove trees from power lines.”

The tree they just removed on the corner had lit on fire at various times and had more than 15 pressure points resting on wires. 

Matthew Allen, another Wright Tree Service crew member hung out in the cab of his truck getting a rare moment of rest from a long day of dangerous work.

“This tree here was the trickiest one we have had all day.”

Barbara Taylor -Irene didn’t cause any problems for Barbara Taylor of 105 Smithfield Avenue. She didn’t even lose power. But her son and daughter-in-law, who live in Portland, weren’t so lucky. They’re still without power. And so is the daycare where their two children, ages 6 and 4, spend the day. So Barbara took her grandchildren for the day while their parents went to work.

“We did lose TV today,” Taylor said. Cable service went out while crews were working nearby, so grandma rented some videos to keep the kids amused.

Melany Reynor of Citgo Food Bag - Power is still out at the corner of Hall Avenue and Broad Street, so the Citgo Food Bag and Dunkin Donuts that sit across from each other near that intersection are still closed. Melany Reynor, who has worked at Food Bag for five years, estimates that the convenience store/gas station has lost “at least $19,000” because of the storm.

When asked when the business would reopen, she replied, “I have no idea. They haven’t let us know anything.”

At her home in Meetinghouse Village, Reynor fared better. “It wasn’t too bad. A couple of trees are down near our house, but that’s about it,” she said. And her power came back on last night.

Harry Patel from Towne and Country Spirit Shop - If it wasn’t for Harry Patel standing outside with the door wide open cheering people in, it would be tough to tell that the dark package store was open. Harry made the decision to stay open and make only cash transactions with a paper log and calculator to keep record. 

“It’s been slow but steady. I called CL&P and they expect to have the power back on here by 4:30 p.m.”

This was the first time in four years since Mr. Patel has owned the store that he has ever experienced this long of a power outage. 

Andrea Williams - A crowd of children swarm Andrea William’s front yard laughing and playing. The whole neighborhood seems to be outside enjoying the sun and the natural light since the whole block is still without power.

Andrea has three children; 8, 14, and 15 years old. 

“My daughter was the only one upset that school was cancelled because she was excited to start third grade. The older boys don’t seem to mind...they only care that they can't play video games and watch TV.”

Andrea, her children, and boyfriend Omar Wallace have been out of power since early Sunday morning but were lucky to have friends with a generator on Winthrop Terrace who let him come by and charge up their cell phones.

Andrea works at Miller Memorial Community Nursing Home and tells Patch that they were well prepared for the impending storm.

“They had us there switching plugs to the emergency plugs so the people on oxygen wouldn’t have a problem if the power went out.”

The Vasquez Family - Liani Vasquez and her parents share a two-family home on Fourth Street and had only positive things to say about the power outage. Her mother Carmen said they lost power at about 5:30 am Sunday morning and have been enjoying time spent together.

“It’s nice in the way that it brings you back to camping days. I grew up camping all over New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and having no TV or lights forces you to relax.”

Her daughter Liani and her 2 1/2 year old daughter Acelynn also seem to be enjoying themselves.

“The best thing was last night seeing all the stars. They were so much brighter without the light pollution.”

The family has been reading books and taking showers by candlelight. 

Laura Barkalow, Miguel Vazquez and Zavier Santiago - “Having a baby makes it hard,” admitted Miguel Vazquez.

He and partner Laura Barkalow of 184 Cook Avenue are trying to care for 18-month-old Zavier without electricity.

“We’re dealing as best we can,” Vazquez said, “but it’s taking a toll.”

They can’t cook anything. Their food is going bad in the refrigerator. “We might have to pick up and go to a hotel for a day or two,” Vazquez said.

And then there's little Zavier.

“He’s bored,” Barkalow said. “We have to take him out.”

In fact, the family was out for a walk when Patch bumped into them downtown.

“When night hits, kids don’t understand why it’s so dark,” Vazquez said. “But he’s been great through it,” he said of Zavier.

Frank Ridley - Patch caught up with Frank Ridley reading on his front porch at 22 Park Place. He was taking advantage of the natural light because he didn’t have any electricity.

“We lost power at 8 yesterday morning,” he shared. “I don’t expect to get it back for days.”

Ridley, a retired insurance executive, was in Meriden for Hurricane Gloria in 1985. “We were without power for a week back then,” he recalled.

“It makes for interesting times. We don’t realize how dependent we are on electricity,” he said. And we’re much more dependent today than we were when Gloria hit. Everybody carries around electronic devices now, Ridley pointed out.

So for now he sits on his porch reading. “I can only read during daylight hours,” Ridley laughed. “Last night I went to bed the earliest I have since I was 10 years old.”  

Melissa Sandreuter - Melissa Sandreuter’s story of the hurricane is a brief one. “I slept through it for the most part,” she said.

Once the storm was over, though, she and her mom took a ride around town to check out the damage. “It was scary,” she related of the downed trees and power lines and flooded roads. But at her home at 296 Bradley Avenue, the power didn’t even go out.

Nicole and Giovanni Russo - “I’ve never seen anything like this, said Nicole Russo of 1238 West Main Street. “A tree broke and ripped the power lines right off the house.”

If that wasn’t enough, the storm dumped 20 inches of water in the basement. So Nicole and her husband, Giovanni, took their two-year-old daughter to a relative’s house while they did their best to clean up the home they’ve lived in for the past seven years.  

The exhausted couple then spent last night at the Hampton Inn, courtesy of Hurricane Irene. "At least she had TV there," Giovanni said of their daughter.

They are now back home cleaning up debris in their yard. Their power came back on at about 10:30 this morning, after being out since 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Many of their neighbors in this area across from Hubbard Park are still without phone and cable service, they said.

Was their little girl scared by the storm? “Not at all,” says Giovanni. “I don’t think she even knew what was going on.”

The Novicellis - Married for 58 years and Clearview Avenue residents since 1955, Maryann and Robert Novicelli are no strangers to storms and power outages. They have been without power since 7 a.m. Sunday morning. 

As Maryann sat in her living room listening to a local AM radio station from a battery-powered radio she seemed convinced that the electricity would not be returning today.

“I don’t see anyone working anywhere. I live four houses away from Pulaski School and they still don’t have power.”

After realizing they were going to lose an expensive food supply, Robert Novicelli headed to CT Power and Sport on North Main Street in Wallingford to buy the last generator they had. When asked how much he spent he scoffed, “Too much!” 

Maryann is pleased now with the generator's power supply and happily passes the time crocheting a baby blanket for an expecting relative.

“By the way, don’t try to go to McDonald’s on Broad Street; it’s the most crowded I have ever seen.”

Tom Impronto - “I have a gas stove, thankfully, that I’ve been able to cook on,” Tom Impronto told Patch as he killed the engine on his motorized blower. A large tree branch on the Clearview Avenue side of his Hall Avenue home came down Sunday morning sometime and he has been out there tidying up ever since. 

“No power means no cell phone but I have been trying not to use it much and I belong to the Polish Legion of American Veterans and if I need a charge I can just bring it there.”

Tom didn’t seem to worried as he continued to blow leaves from his front yard that he has lived in for the past 24 years.

Raphael Davila - Raphael Davila and wife Carmen are Tom’s neighbors on Clearview Avenue and Raphael was eager to showcase his system of getting a bit of power to him home. Through an open side window an extension cord with adaptor snaked its way into the back of his Hummer SUV, where it met its power supply.

“The adaptor turns a 120 volt into a 12 volt from the power supply in my Hummer. Now me and my wife can have a bit of light and some TV.”

Raphael also had a large tree branch come down in his side yard and has been outside since dawn clearing the debris and loading it onto a trailer.

“Everyone that comes by thinks that the storm didn’t hit here; little did they know I have been out here cleaning it up since 7 a.m.”

Raphael and Carmen do not see to concerned about the power coming back on since they have the small supply from the Hummer and access to a home cook meal at their daughter’s home in North Haven.