Norwich ― City officials are warning residents along the Yantic River they may need to evacuate early Saturday morning if overnight rains cause excessive flooding in the river.

Residents in the Yantic River area received recorded phone calls Friday evening alerting them that they would receive a second call if the evacuation order is given. Kelly STEAM Magnet Middle School on Mahan Drive will serve as a community shelter under the direction of the Red Cross if an evacuation is ordered.

After a leak was detected in the Fitchville Pond Dam on the Yantic River in Bozrah on Wednesday, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection hired a contractor to create a temporary cofferdam using giant sandbags to relieve pressure on the dam. Emergency crews were stationed at the dam overnight Friday to monitor any structural failure that would prompt mandatory evacuations of downstream areas in Bozrah and Norwich.

Claire Bessette