What’s Open and Where

Irene may have been down-graded to a tropical storm. But her wrath blasted through Connecticut town by town, leaving thousands to clean up her mess. 

During clean-up there are some necessities residents might require while putting their homes and interrupted lives back together, from tree saws to “comfort foods,” which play an important role in fighting disaster stress.

To help you find what you need in your town, Patch has canvassed the area with nearly 100 phone calls. As of Monday, a number of businesses are open and ready to serve customers. Others are almost open. Getting to them may be the biggest challenge.

Listen to local authorities regarding road closures and town curfews. If you must be on the roads, drive during daylight hours. Use caution and expect delays. According to CL&P, road crews are working to restore power around the clock. Public Works Departments are clearing debris from roads, but many remain flooded. Be patient.

Of the 10 inland towns Patch surveyed, Monroe was hit the hardest with nearly all its residents losing power. According to the local police department, there is no power on the Monroe Turnpike (Route 111) or Main Street (Route 25). There are no gas stations, or coffee shops open, and no ATM machines working. Stop and Shop is running on a generator. From the Lake Zoar Drive-In to Roberto’s in Stepney, when night falls the flashlights and candles come out.

Neighboring Trumbull had no power outages. Dunkin’ Donuts at 6546 Main St. (next to Marissa’s) was up and running as soon as Irene left town. Stop and Shop on Quality street has an ATM machine and gas stations are pumping. There’s a Starbuck’s with Wifi down Church Hill Road in Trumbull Center along with a Giove’s Pizza. The Home Depot, just over the Monroe line on Route 111, re-opened Sunday afternoon. 

All Stop and Shops in the Patch towns below are open for business. Many like the one in Monroe are running on generators. No Webster Bank branches are responding to calls even in towns which have power. ACE Hardware stores are also unreachable by phone. Stores listed without comment are open for business. Gas stations listed were pumping at presstime.

Here is the full list of essentials in each town:

Bethel  

ATM machine: Wells Fargo Bank and Newtown Savings Bank both with locations at Greenwood Ave. and on Stony Hill Rd.

Wifi connection: Molten Java waiting for power.

Fast-food: Sycamore Drive-In, waiting for power.

Groceries: Big Y, Stony Hill Road.

Gas Stations: Shell, Greenwood Ave.

Hot coffee: Dunkin Donuts in the Shell gas station. Also see Danbury, Brookfield and Newtown.

Repair tools and supplies: True Value, Greenwood Ave.

Brookfield

 ATM machine: Newtown Savings Bank on Federal Road.

Wifi connection: Panera Bread, Federal Road, has power, but the water needs to be turned on.

Fast-food: Wendy’s, Federal Road.

Groceries: Brookfield Market, Whisconier Road .

Gas Stations: Mobil on Federal Road, pumping all grades; Ronnie’s Service Center, Candlewood Lake Road, open for repairs only.

Hot coffee: Both Dunkin Donuts on Federal Road.

Repair tools and supplies: East Coast Building Supplies, Quarry Road,

Danbury

ATM machine: Wells Fargo on Padanaram Road, in Commerce Park on Newtown Road and on Main St. Newtown Savings Bank on Main St.

Wifi connection: No power at any of the three Starbuck’s or TK’s American Café.

Fast-food:  McDonalds on Newtown Rd, no power.

Groceries: A & P, Padanaram Rd Shopping Center; Stop and Shops on Danbury Road and the Lake Avenue Extension.

Gas Stations: Shell, Greenwood Ave, Fast Freddie’s Global Gas, Newtown Road (Exit 8 off I-84.)

Hot coffee: Dunkin Donuts on Main St., Hayestown Ave., Newtown Road, and Greenwood Ave.

Repair tools and supplies: Home Depot, Federal Road (generators and chain saws sold out.) 

Middlebury

ATM machine: Naugatuck Savings on Middlebury Road.

Wifi connection: None.

Fastfood: Subway, Straits Tpke.

Groceries: Big Y in Naugatuck.

Gas Stations: Mobil on Middlebury Road, only has “super” left.

Hot coffee: Dunkin Donuts N/A.

Repair tools and supplies: See Southbury.

Naugatuck

ATM machine: Naugatuck Savings Bank, Church St.

Wifi connection: None.

Fast-food: McDonalds N/A

Groceries: Big Y on Bridge Street. Stop and Shop on Rubber Ave.

Gas Stations: Stop N Save Citgo,   Rubber Ave. Mobil, South Main Street, pumping “super”.

Hot coffee: All Dunkin Donuts.

Repair tools and supplies: Ed’s Hardware, Rubber Ave.        

Newtown

ATM machine: Newtown Savings bank, Main Street.

Wifi connection: Starbucks Church Hill Road, N/A.

Fast-food:  Panera’s, South Main St.  

Groceries: Big Y on Queen St. groceries only, no perishables; Super Stop and Shop, South Main St.

Gas Stations: Citgo, 151 South Main Street, pumping all grades and diesel.

Hot coffee: Dunkin Donuts N/A.

Repair tools and supplies: Newtown Hardware, Church Hill Road, open and running on a generator.

Oxford

Businesses along Oxford Road, from ATMs and banking to pizza and supplies for repair, are out of commission and unreachable by phone. See nearby communities.

Southbury

ATM machine: Newtown Savings Bank on Main St. South.

Wifi connection: None

Fast-food: McDonalds, Main St N.
Groceries:  Stop and Shop on Main Street North.

Gas Stations: Shell, Main Street North, pumping all grades.

Hot coffee: All Dunkin Donuts.

Repair tools and supplies: True Value Hardware, Main Street South.  

Woodbury

ATM machine: Newtown Savings Bank, awaiting power.

Wifi connection: None.

Fast-food:  Ayla’s Bagel & Deli, Main Street South.

Groceries: Labonnes, Main Street South.

Gas Stations: Both Shell and Mobil, have no power.

Hot coffee: See Southbury.

Repair tools and supplies: ACE hardware, Main Street South, N/A. See Southbury. 

Keep track of Connecticut Light & Power’s restoration progress by visiting  http://www.cl-p.com/outage/outagemap.aspx on a regular  basis.