[Update, 6:37 p.m.] Avon Public Schools Closed Again Tuesday

Update, 7:20 p.m., Oct. 31

Major Road Closures and Conditions

• Old Farms is open all the way to Fisher Meadows, but just before the bridge, there are trees and wires down, so it's closed from the Waterville side.

• Thompson Road is heavily blocked by downed trees and brambles, so drivers cannot get through.

• Scoville Road is closed on the West Avon Road side, but is passable from the other directions, though there are still many downed trees and wires, so it is dangerous.

• Climax Drive is closed.

• Several other roads in town have downed trees and wires, so there may be other road closures.

Passable Roads

• Waterville Road has reopened, but there is a downed tree in the westbound lane that still needs to be cleared.

• Chevas Road has reopened.

• Avon Mountain is open, but drivers are reminded to take caution in case it is slippery. There are downed trees on the side of the road in places.

• Tillotson Road has several trees down on the roadway on the Farmington side, so it would probably be best to avoid it.

• Huckleberry Hill Road is passable, but there are still a lot of downed trees and wires, so this is another road to avoid if you can. At least one utility pole is snapped.

• West Avon Road is passable.

Update, 6:06 p.m., Oct. 31

Avon Public Schools will be closed Tuesday. Avon Superintendent of Schools Gary Mala said that he has not estimation at this point as to when school will reopen, but he will provide an update in the morning.

Waterville Road has reopened, but a tree is still being cleared. Chevas Road is also reopened and Huckleberry Hill Road is passable, but there are a lot of downed trees and wires. Old Farms Road is closed from the Waterville end. West Avon Road is clear and Lovely Street is open.

Space at the Avon emergency shelter at Avon High School is limited, but the shelter will be open overnight.

About 100 people have cycled through during the day, town officials said.

Showers and food are available. People can also charge phones and other electronics at the high school.

No pets are allowed, however, town officials in some emergency cases are arranging to put pets in crates in a heated garage at the high school. People should not bring pets otherwise.

Town officials ask that residents only bring essential items and avoid bringing valuables, as the town of Avon is not responsible for lost and stolen items.

Suggested items to bring are as follows:

• Special dietary food, snacks or comfort food
• Bedding, pillows, blankets, et cetera
• Extra clothes
• Necessary medications and medical supplies
• Oxygen supplies or arrange with oxygen company "to deliver to to the designated SNS oxygen shelter."
• Toiletries
• Flashlights and batteries
• Diapers
• Necessities for infants, elderley and the disabled
• Books, magazines, games or cards to pass the time

Update, 1:10 p.m., Oct. 31

Avon has put a ban on trick-or-treating Monday night due to numerous trees and power lines down. Power lines on the ground could be live wires.

The following CT Alert for the town of Avon was sent at 12:49 p.m.

"The town of Avon urges residents to be prepared for an extended power outage," the alert said. "The town has opened a shelter for Avon Residence at the Avon High School, 510 West Avon Rd. Space is limited take essential items such as special dietary food, snack, bedding, medications. Due to multiple hazards, The town of Avon has put a ban on trick-or-treating."

Update, 11:36 a.m., Oct. 31

The power may be out for awhile, Town Manager Brandon Robertson said Monday afternoon.

"Residents should be prepared for an extended power outage," Robertson said. "It could be a couple of days, maybe weeks."

A Connecticut Light & Power municipal liaison is stationed in Avon's emergency operations center at the Avon Police Department. Robertson said CL&P is working as quickly as possible to get the power back on.

"The primary objective is the main lines," Roberson said, particularly Route 44, where the lights are out in almost every building and almost every business appears closed.

Big Y is one of the few businesses in town open and is operating on a generator. Residents can get hot coffee there and hot beverages are also being provided at Avon High School, the town's emergency shelter. More substantial food supplies have been ordered, Superintendent Gary Mala said.

Town Hall is without power, Robertson said.

Update, 10:14 a.m., Oct. 31

Avon's emergency operation center is open at the Avon Police Department. Town offices are otherwise closed.

Avon Patch has contacted the police department, emergency management and Public Works for an update on roads and the extent of the damage. Updates will be provided as they become available.

Update, 9:52 a.m., Oct. 31

Avon Superintendent of Schools Gary Mala said that it is "highly unlikely" that there will be school Tuesday, but he is waiting to hear from Town Manager Brandon Robertson before making a decision. He will provide an update later today.

In the meantime, Avon High School is running on a generator open as a shelter on West Avon Road, which is cleared of the fallen trees that were there Sunday. The high school has showers and food is being provided. People can go to recharge their phones there. It's also a good place to go to get warm.

There were 20 people at the shelter in the morning who stayed overnight, Mala said.

The shelter will be open overnight.

Original Story, Oct. 31

The black out in Avon continues, as 100 percent of residents remain without power, Connecticut Light & Power reported Monday morning.

Yet many are turning to Facebook for information and to communicate.

"Freezing In Avon since 3 pm yesterday. No heat power food hot water NADA," Avon reader Marcia Duggan Wells wrote Sunday on the Avon Patch Facebook page. "Am in Whispering Pines off of Climax where transformers caught on fire yesterday afternoon @ Bushy Hill end of Climax. Lots of trees down in here uprooted from ground .Got gas @Bishops Corner, waited in line an hr.Troys Mobile just had received delivery."

The Shell and Mobil in Avon were out of gas early Sunday evening, as well as the Phillips and Shell stations in Bishop's Corner in West Hartford. The line to get to the Mobil station across the street was several cars long. Duggan Wells wrote on Facebook that she waited an hour Sunday for gas.

Avon Patch reader Susan Clyatt Lybeck also wrote Sunday on Facebook that gas stations off of Exit 44 on I-84, the West Hartford Prospect Avenue exit, are another option, but the lines are long.

is open as an emergency shelter and schools are closed for Monday and possibly a few more days, depending on Avon Superintendent Gary Mala's assessment of the damage.

Cell phone service is weak in Avon for both AT&T and Verizon, but residents can recharge at the high school. Text messages may go through when calls don't and text messaging can save power.

State residents should take caution, not only because of the widespread power outages, but also because of trees and branches that could still fall and downed wires.

"With today being Halloween, CL&P is strongly advising residents to accompany their children while trick or treating to help them avoid any potentially dangerous situation," CL&P wrote in a press release. "Be on the watch for downed lines that may be unseen and obscured by fallen limbs or snow."

The combinations of the fall leaves and heavy, wet snow is putting more weight on trees. The ground wasn't frozen before the sudden October snowfall either, making it easier for trees to uproute. Fallen trees are the most widespread problem in Avon. There are also several downed wires. Avon Fire Chief Michael Trick previously said that there was hardly a street in town without fallen branches.

Country Club Road has reopened, but Chevas Road was still closed as of Sunday night. Route 10 was closed Sunday night due to many downed trees and wires from the Avon side to Farmington. Fallen trees across Old Farms Road by the bridge onto Route 10 obstructed cars from passing through.There may be other blocked roads in town.

If you come to a traffic light that isn't functioning, treat it as a four-way stop.

All downed wires should be considered live. If you see a downed line, call 9-1-1, . To report a power outage or get an estimate of when your power will come back on, contact CL&P at 1-800-286-2000.

CL&P tweeted Naugatuck Patch that 452 line and tree crews are out statewide Monday.

For more information, follow Avon Patch for updates on the site, Twitter (@AvonPatch) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/avonpatch). Send your storm tips to Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com, call or text me at 860-356-6339 or message me on Facebook or Twitter. CL&P is also providing updates on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CTLightandPower), Twitter (@CTLightandPower) and via its outage map.