Update 2: City of Meriden Declares State of Emergency, Will Open Emergency Operations Center and Shelter Saturday

City departments are preparing for what officials say could be the worst flooding that Meriden has ever seen.

"The middle of this town will be underwater," City Manager Lawrence Kendzior told department heads at a Meriden Emergency Management Team meeting Friday afternoon, if the area gets the maximum of an estimated 1 to 3 inches of rain an hour over a 6 to 8 hour period Sunday from Hurricane Irene.

In order to deal with possible flooding, Kendzior signed a State of Emergency Declaration (attached in PDF) for the city at 12:40 p.m. Friday, said Emergency Management Director David Bowen at the 2 p.m. meeting. The declaration gives the City Manager power to sidestep normal protocol when making decisions related to Hurricane Irene, and also helps with eventual federal reimbursal of the city's costs associated with the storm.

Kendzior said that based on predictions from a Friday conference call with the state's Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the city could see hurricane-force winds starting at daybreak on Sunday, accompanied by 1-3 inches of rain an hour and ending around noon to 2 p.m. The storm could cause major flooding, downed trees, and major, multi-day power outages throughout the city.

The city will activate its Emergency Operations Center at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Meriden Police station to deal with the impacts of the storm. Many city workers are on standby to come into work to deal with storm-related issues – like clearing roads, moving fallen trees and other debris. Kendzior told department heads the earlier they called in workers, the better.

"I want to err on the side of caution with this. Get in place, I don’t want to have people say I can’t get in, or I’m not coming in," Kendzior said.

Roads in and out of the city could be flooded. The Merritt Parkway - Wilbur Cross Parkway is in particular danger of being shut down after midnight Saturday, officials said at the meeting.

Residents will be informed of the storm's progress through the city's "Reverse 911" emergency alert program, which will call their house phones. Residents in the city's 100-year flood plain will receive a different mesage than those outside. The city's website will also carry alerts.

The city is well-known for flooding - the last major flood in 1992 had water high enough in the downtown area to fully cover cars.

"Those who have flooded in the past, are going to be flooded even more," said Mayor Michael Rohde. "If those numbers are right, 1-3 inches an hour for 6 hours, the amount of flooding could be double what those in Meriden have seen before."

For residents forced out of their homes due to damage or flooding, the city will open Washington Middle School as a shelter at 6 p.m. Saturday. The school can house up to 1,000 people and has a generator if electricity goes out. Pets will not be allowed at the shelter.

Only those residents ordered to evacuate and without alternate shelter arrangements should report to Washington Middle School, said a statement from the city.

"If you are not in a designated flood zone and have not been ordered to evacuate by City of Meriden emergency personnel, you should shelter in place at your residency as long as it remains safe to do so," the statement said.

If you are evacuated to the shelter, the city recommends you bring "personal items such as blankets, pillows, personal hygiene items, medications, snacks, and miscellaneous items such as magazines, books, or a board game."

A regional shelter for people with special needs – who are in a wheelchair, need special lifts, special beds – is being set up right now, and details on that are set to come, Bowen said.

Otherwise, Bowen asks that residents, "Stay in your homes, ride out the storm, have a plan, have your bottled water, have non-perishable foods to take care of yourself for the first 72 hours of the storm."

The team asks that residents call non-emergency police (203-238-1911) and fire numbers (203-235-2537) for issues like trees down, or water covering a road, (unless these create a dangerous or emergency situation) in order to keep 911 lines clear for true emergencies during the storm. The Emergency Operations Center will also have a line set up for true emergencies, 203-634-4600.

City departments have been preparing for the storm for much of the week, checking generators, gassing up vehicles.

Residents who receive city water should have normal water service even if the power goes out to the city's water treatment plants according to Public Utilities division director David Lohman. The division has backup generators.

"We don’t anticipate any change with our water supply, barring water main breaks or a catastrophic incident," Lohman said. The only residents who will likely be affected by an outage are those with private wells.

Lohman said staff will be out monitoring dams.

UPDATE Meriden public school officials decided Saturday that . Middlesex Community College in Meriden is closed Monday.

As of Saturday morning, Meriden was under a Hurricane Warning by the National Weather Service.

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