As a blizzard of historic proportions took aim at the state today, southeastern Connecticut residents hunkered down with state and municipal officials urging them to stay home until the roads are cleared.

Cities and towns opened emergency operation centers and shelters today, issued parking bans, public works departments readied snowplows and businesses closed early. Schools closed early today, are closed Tuesday and some have already canceled classes for Wednesday. Town halls are closed and trash pickups and municipal meetings canceled for Tuesday. Amtrak and the Fishers Island ferry have suspended service on Tuesday.  Cross Sound Ferry Services cancelled evening departures from New London and Orient Point on Monday and all services for Tuesday. 9 Town Transit and SEAT have suspended service on Tuesday. No flights are expected Tuesday at Bradley International Airport or at T.F. Green Airport.

The Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened three emergency storm shelters in the region, at the Kelly Middle School in Norwich, the New London Senior Center and East Lyme Middle School.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declared a state of emergency and issued a travel ban for all roads starting at 9 p.m. Monday.

Calling it a “crippling and potentially historic blizzard, the National Weather Service said southeastern Connecticut will be blanketed by anywhere from 20 to 30 inches with winds approaching 50 miles per hour for much of Tuesday. Coastal erosion and flooding are also possible. The snow, however, is predicted to be dry and fluffy.

 After a meeting with city staff Monday morning, New London Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio outlined the city’s preparations for what meteorologists say could be a blizzard of historic proportions.

“We’re hopeful at this point that we are as prepared as we’re going to be for a storm of this magnitude and we are taking the early steps necessary to address our concerns,” Finizio said outside the Emergency Operations Center at fire department headquarters Monday morning.

Finizio said he and other city officials began planning over the weekend for this storm and early Monday morning participated in a conference call with the state EOC.

City officials — including the mayor, the fire chief, the director of the Public Works Department and others — will live and work primarily out of the Emergency Operations Center during the storm.

The latest estimate, Finizio said, is that New London can expect to get at least two feet of snow by daybreak Wednesday in what will be a “very severe winter storm.”

As the first flurries began to fall Monday morning, he city declared a state of emergency at 10:13 a.m. and activated all emergency personnel to give the city the ability to respond to emergencies around the clock.

The fire department has called in extra personnel for the next two days and is getting all of its four-wheel drive vehicles on the roads, Fire Chief Henry Kydd said.

The city will have 13 plow trucks on the road, DPW Director Tim Hanser said, and

“We spent the morning making sure all of our equipment is up and running, we will be working around the clock to make sure we keep the roads open,” Hanser said. “We are ready for the storm, we’ll do the best we can to keep up with it.”

At the height of the storm, if the snowfall rate and highs become too much to keep up with, the city might have to pull its plows off the roads and “we could be dealing with a very serious incident” that could take several days to clear all the snow, the mayor said.

“If blizzard conditions exceed our capacity to keep trucks on the road, this could be a storm that clogs the city for several days,” Finizio said. “It will be our priority to keep our plows going throughout the entire storm to keep our main arteries open and to respond as well as we have in the past.”

Finizio said the city has already reached out to private contractors who can provide front loaders and other machinery to help clear the downtown neighborhood of snow once the storm stops.

The state has also lifted its restrictions on dumping snow into waterways, Finizio said, so the city may look to push snow into the Thames River if there is nowhere on land to put it.

New London has also imposed a parking ban, effective at noon Monday and running until further notice. Under the ban, there is no parking allowed on downtown streets. On streets that usually accommodate parking on both sides, residents may park only on the even numbered side of the street.

Downtown residents may park their cars in the Winter Street Parking Garage free of charge during the parking ban, the city said.

Finizio said he will be keeping an eye on possible flooding, particularly on the southern end of the city, but that flooding is expected to be “manageable” and not more serious than during a major rainstorm.

More than two dozen city and Norwich Public Utilities officials gathered at the city’s emergency operations center at NPU headquarters at various times Monday to prepare for the pending blizzard.

City officials declared a state of emergency at noon and the police department put a parking ban on odd sides of all streets starting at noon. City offices will be closed Tuesday, and all municipal meetings Monday and Tuesday are canceled. School will be canceled Tuesday.

The city of Norwich activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 5 p.m. to assist with the coordination of any emergency in an efficient manner. Officials plan to hold update meetings several times Tuesday and will issue public announcements as needed throughout the storm, NPU spokesman Chris Riley, the public information officer for the storm, said.

Announcements will be available on the city website at www.norwichct.org or at www.norwichpublicutilities.com and on the NPU Facebook page.

The city opened its emergency shelter at Kelly Middle School on Mahan Drive at 5 p.m. The shelter includes space for individuals or families who need to evacuate with their pets.

Norwich Public Utilities reminded residents and travelers that heavy snow on tree limbs and utility wires could weigh down the wires. People should always assume that a downed wire is a live wire and report any incidents to NPU at (860) 887-2555.

Anyone using a generator during a power outage must keep all generators outside – not in the house, basement, crawl space or enclosed area – Carbon monoxide would build up rapidly and could reach dangerous levels from the generator exhaust.

It’s business as usual for the Covenant Shelter and Homeless Hospitality Center in New London, blizzard or not.

For those who use the shelters, snow poses no greater a danger than the cold that persists through the winter, noted center executive director Cathy Zall Monday.

“We need to be ready every day, so it’s not that unusual for us,” she said.

Zall said that around 4:30 p.m. Monday that the 40-person capacity shelter had about 55 people. She said the center can use its warming center, where people can stop in to get warm, if there isn’t enough space in the main shelter.

She said two additional staff volunteered to stay at the shelter 24 hours straight Monday night, which will bring the number of staff on site overnight from one to three.

The center is prepared to feed its guests for the duration of the storm, the executive director said. She said the shelter was not planning on transporting guests to the New London Community Meal Center as it normally would.

Covenant maintenance staff member Dennis Phillips was similarly unconcerned about the weather, explaining that the shelter has a generator, plenty of food for residents and a warming center should more people show up than normal.

The meal center will be running with fewer staff than normal, according to cook manager Peta Madry. She said she expected three staff to be on hand Tuesday, as opposed to the normal eight, due to weather.

Madry said the meal center had plenty of food and that lower staffing should not be an issue, since it would presumably come paired with fewer people eating at the center. She projected 60 visitors coming for meals as opposed to the typical 100 to 200.

Also a help is the shelter’s use of gas for cooking – warm meals should be available even if the electricity goes out, Madry said.

“We probably should be fine,” she said.

All Lawrence + Memorial Hospital outpatient facilities closed at 3 p.m. Monday and will not reopen until 11 a.m. Wednesday. Inpatient and emergency departments at the main hospital in New London, The Westerly Hospital and the Pequot Health Center in Groton will continue operating on a normal schedule.

Hospital spokesman Mike O’Farrell said elective surgeries planned for Tuesday at the main hospital, Westerly Hospital and the Pequot Health Center will be rescheduled. Elective surgeries will resume at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Nurses, doctors and other patient care staff scheduled to start their shifts tonight or Tuesday morning have been asked to report to work later today and stay overnight at the hospital, O’Farrell said. Cots are being provided.

Outpatient facilities that are closing early today and will be closed Tuesday include: the L+M Cancer Center in Waterford; all offices and walk-in centers of the L+M Medical Group; outpatient diagnostic imaging and laboratory services; outpatient rehabilitation services; the wound center in Waterford; the sleep center in Groton; cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services; employee health services; the occupational health center at Pequot; and neurodiagnostics services.

All outpatient centers of The William W. Backus Hospital will be closed this afternoon and will not reopen until noon Wednesday, and elective surgeries planned for Tuesday are being rescheduled, Shawn Mawhiney, hospital spokesman, said.

The main hospital in Norwich and the Plainfield Backus Emergency Care Center will remain open through the storm, he added.

The hospital also asked doctors, nurses and other staff to stay over tonight through Tuesday, offering cots in the hospital for the night.

“We’ve gotten a good response,” he said. 

Ledge Light Health District has been in contact with the municipalities it serves about storm preparations, Stephen Mansfield, deputy director of health, said. Ledge Light serves New London, Groton, Ledyard, East Lyme and Waterford.

The district has also contacted its Medical Reserve Corps volunteers to determine who would be available to staff the emergency shelter in New London and the regional shelter in East Lyme, he said.

Electric Boat canceled the second and third shifts today and its first shift Tuesday at its Groton, New London and Quonset Point facilities.

Only authorized personnel may enter the Groton facility during these shifts. Entrance and exit will be through the Main Gate only, which is where essential personnel reporting to or leaving the facility will be required to scan their badge. Parking is only authorized in F or G Lot across from the EB Firehouse.

Announcements will be posted on the Electric Boat website www.gdeb.com.

The company will also post news alerts on the Twitter feed “@EBCMS.” Employees can choose to receive alerts via SMS on their work or personal cell phone by texting “follow EBCMS” to the number 40404, or they can access them on the Internet at https://twitter.com/ebcms.

The Connecticut National Guard is preparing full-time guardsmen to operate in 14 facilities throughout the state in support of the impending storm, according to Capt. Mike Peterson, who is in charge of public affairs. “Obviously, the severity of the storm will dictate what type of support we provide (and how many soldiers, for that matter),” Peterson wrote in an email. 

Two hundred fifty personnel are expected to be on duty by tonight, providing highway assistance.

Coast Guard officials are urging local mariners to take safety precautions for themselves and their vessels.

“Obviously, being out on the water in blizzard conditions is extremely unsafe,” said Capt. Ed Cubanski, commander of Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound, “but beyond safe boating practices, we are asking mariners to take extra steps to ensure that their vessels remain safe while at the pier.”

With the possibility of two to three feet of snow, Coast Guard officials advised mariners to consider steps to minimize the effects of heavy snow accumulations on decks, particularly well decks with little drainage and upper decks, where additional weight may affect stability. Sustained high winds are expected, and vessel owners should consider using additional mooring lines where needed and further secure canvas covers and bimini tops. Officials also reminded mariners of safe boat practices, including having a float plan, an operable marine radio, sufficient distress signaling and personal floatation devices.

Mariners also are advised to secure or remove hazardous materials or cargos to a safe location, especially drums; drain product from all loading arms and hoses and blank off hoses; empty/clean small discharge containment; rig outboard anchors at a short stay if moored; set at least two anchors if at anchorage; and ensure vessels are ready to get underway within 15 minutes if at anchorage.

“Our men and women respond to all cases where search and rescue could be a factor, including incidents which ultimately turn out to be vessels which have come loose from their moorings,” Cubanski said. “The risk doesn’t change for our crews. Responding to unmanned, adrift vessels is just as dangerous as a verified search and rescue mission.”

Preparations for the impending blizzard were well underway at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Monday afternoon. 

“Today has been like a blur getting things ready,” said gardener Sam DelRusso. 

DelRusso said he and three others would be staying overnight at Munro Hall Guest Housing at the Academy, and that he didn’t expect the rest of the crew to report to work until Wednesday morning. A contractor will help to plow the snow on the Academy grounds, which DelRusso said is common in weather situations like this. He said he expected plowing to begin around 7 p.m., and continue throughout the night. The Academy has several pieces of equipment to help combat the snow; two tractors with plows, two tractors with snow blowers and between 12 to 15 walk-behind snow blowers.

“We’ll be tackling this for the next couple of days,” DelRusso said. “It’s important that we get things back to normal as soon as possible.” 

The Naval Submarine Base will close to all but essential personnel at 4 p.m. today, and will remain closed to all but essential personnel through Tuesday, according to its Facebook page.

All personally owned vehicles will be prevented from parking on the lower base after 1 p.m. today, and must be removed from the lower base by 4 p.m. today. The base will enforce a ban on on-street parking after 4 p.m., and personnel should move their vehicles from all designated “red” parking lot areas at 4 p.m. After 4 p.m., sailors will be in liberty status and civilian personnel will be granted administrative leave from that time through the end of their shift.

In the base’s public-private venture neighborhoods, Balfour Beatty Community residents are reminded that a ban on "on-street" parking will be enforced after 1 p.m. today.

The Naval Branch Health Clinic will close at 4 p.m. The Navy Exchange anticipates closing at 5 p.m., unless conditions significantly worsen. Departments and tenants will decide which of their personnel are essential based on ongoing operations; personnel with questions should contact their chain of command. Personnel should also contact their commands/supervisors if they believe conditions make it unsafe for them to travel to the base.

Throughout Tuesday, base officials will evaluate the weather situation and its impact, if any, on base operations for Wednesday. Information on any further impacts will be posted by 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the base’s Facebook page. Information will be available on the base’s Facebook page or its information line at 860-694-4444.

The Naval Submarine Base Fire Department is urging everyone to clear their fire hydrants in preparation of the storm. The fire department suggests shoveling a three foot area around all fire hydrants to allow emergency personnel to easily access them in case of emergency. For more information, contact the fire department at (860) 694-3466/3467. For emergency calls, please call 911 or (860) 694-3333.

A parking ban went into effect at 6 p.m.  in Old Lyme, and town officials are asking residents to keep cars off the road.

The town’s Emergency Operations Center will open mid-afternoon today. Old Lyme's regional shelter at East Lyme Middle School will open at 5 p.m. Old Lyme residents and their pets are welcome.

The Lymes’ Senior Center closed at 11 a.m. today and will be closed on Tuesday.

There will be no trash and recycling pick-up on Tuesday.

For more information, call the Old Lyme Emergency Operations at (860) 598-0120.

Groton does not plan to open an emergency shelter unless the town gets reports of power outages expected to last a long time, said Joseph Sastre, Groton’s director of emergency management.

If a shelter is needed, the town will open the Groton Senior Center, he said. Crews from public works will plow the senior center and police department tonight along with roads to make sure they are clear.

One potential issue in Groton and nearby towns is the number of homes on well water, which lose water when the power is out. Sastre said he does not know the exact number who rely on wells in Groton, but it is a “significant number” and in the thousands.

To prepare for a short-term outage, Sastre said people could turn up their heat a bit higher than usual so the house stays warm longer, and keep their refrigerator colder than normal, so food stays cold longer.

“The best thing for folks to do is to stay home and hunker down. Stay off the road,” Sastre said.

In Stonington, First Selectman George Crouse issued a state of emergency at 4 p.m. this afternoon and opened the emergency operations center at the police station. Town Hall is closed Tuesday an Wednesday.  Crouse said the town will consider opening the emergency shelter at the high school is power outages warrant it. He added that plow trucks are prepared to escort ambulances if needed. Tuesday and Wednesday trash collection is postponed until Thursday. Thursday trash collection will be Friday and Friday's on Saturday.

North Stonington is not planning to open a local shelter and is suggesting that residents either shelter in place or seek alternative accommodations with friends or relative. If there are widespread power outages the town will utilize regional shelters and local warming areas. Information about locations and times will be available on the town website or from North Stonington Emergency Management at 860-857-2614 as soon as it becomes available.

The American Red Cross regional shelter opened 5 p.m. Monday at the East Lyme Middle School, at 31 Society Road, for residents of East Lyme, Old Lyme, Lyme, Montville, Salem, and Waterford. There will be an area to shelter pets. Residents should bring enough supplies to stay at the shelter until Thursday, and bring a kennel, food and rabies certificate for pets.

 All Westerly town offices and schools will be closed Tuesday, Westerly town officials announced today.

The Town's Emergency Shelter at the Westerly Senior Center will be open at noon on Tuesday if needed. People should bring identification, a change of clothes, sleeping bag or blankets, small pillow, prescriptions and toiletries. Anyone who is oxygen dependent is expected to bring their personal oxygen.

The Animal Shelter will accept any pets that need to be sheltered. At the time of sheltering please bring the following: Proof of pet ownership, recent photo of your pet and you, driver's license, copy of pet's current medical records and regular medications, special care instructions, proper-fitting collar or harness, to be worn at all times, and identification and current rabies tags affixed to the collar.

Governor Gina Raimando declared a State of Emergency in Rhode Island and is urging everyone to be off the roads by 8 p.m. Monday. There is a travel ban in effect as of midnight.