Stonington -- In Pawcatuck a large, older building has collapsed and along the shoreline, many people have evacuated, including residents of Mason's Island, which is currently cut off from the mainland.

High winds ripped a wall off the upper two stories of the 6-story Campbell Grain building on Coggswell Street about 8:45 a.m.

Stonington building official Wayne Greene has condemned the building, which houses several small businesses on the first floor. Power has been cut off to the building.

First Selectman Ed Haberek said emergency officials will continue to monitor the buidling during the day.

The massive hole on the north side of the building has exposed a tangle of metal support columns inside. Haberek said town officials were alerted to the problem by a resident who called police reporting a loud noise, which turned out to be the wall crashing to the ground. No one was injured.

Habarek said with several more hours of high winds expected he is worried about more damage to the building. He said efforts are being made to contact the owner, who in recent months has been making efforts to tear down the building.

Haberek said 74 peope are now staying at the emergency shelter at the high school, about twice as many as last night.

Mason's Island, where many residents evacuated their homes, is now cut off from the mainland as water swamps the causeway. Habarek said residents in other parts of town along the water have left, including those in Lord's Point, which he referred to as "a ghost town."