Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that seven state parks and campgrounds in southeastern Connecticut that were closed Friday as a precaution while Hurricane Earl approached New England are reopening immediately – well ahead of the original plan to reopen them at 12 p.m. today.
At Governor Rell’s direction, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) crews made thorough assessments of the parks early this morning to determine whether it was possible to reopen them earlier than the original target time. After an on-site review, DEP officials reported no signs of major damage. Swimming areas also appear to be free of complications from storm water runoff or riptides, although those conditions may be subject to change.
“Thankfully, yesterday’s storm weakened more rapidly than National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted and – also unexpectedly – shifted course to the east just as it neared the state,” Governor Rell said. “Connecticut caught a lot of breaks from this storm and the same seems to be true for our parks. I know many families have been looking forward to enjoying the day in one of our beautiful state parks. While we are always concerned about safety, I also want to minimize any further disruptions to our visitors’ plans.
“I appreciate the understanding that park patrons have shown,” the Governor added. “We are taking measures at all of the affected parks to speed entry and to help campers with reservations for tonight get to their campsites as rapidly as possible.”
Governor Rell on Thursday ordered the parks closed as Hurricane Earl – then a much stronger storm and predicted to bring heavy rain and sustained winds of as high as 50 mph to southeastern Connecticut – approached the state.
The affected parks and campgrounds are:
- Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison
- Rocky Neck State Park, East Lyme
- Hopeville Pond State Park, Jewett City
- Devil’s Hopyard State Park, East Haddam
- Salt Rock Campground, Sprague
- Mount Misery Campground, Pachaug State Forest, Voluntown
- Green Falls Campground, Pachaug State Forest, Voluntown
DEP arranged with the company that manages its campground reservation system, Reserve America, to provide a refund for all campers who had reservations for Friday night.
Information on all state parks and state park campgrounds can be found on the DEP website at www.ct.gov/dep.
