Beach residents batten down, move from Sandy's danger zone

Chris Krook has lived on Fairfield Beach Road for 22 years. His son, Daniel, was helping him board up the house and garage in preparation for Hurricane Sandy's arrival, but Karl Krook still hadn't made up his mind: Stay or go?

"I have to wait and see," the elder Krook said. "It depends on how high the water gets."

The town wasn't waiting, however, to make a decision on whether beach area residents can stay during the expected onslaught. On Saturday afternoon, First Selectman Michael Tetreau issued a mandatory evacuation for the beach area as of noon Sunday and opened a shelter for both residents and pets at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.

Lea DiNardo had no hesitation, however, about leaving the neighborhood.

Around 11 a.m. Sunday, DiNardo was packing up her car, ready to leave Fairfield Beach Road and go stay with a friend. But before she did, she made sure to pack up her belongings in plastic boxes, stacking them on tables in the garage, hoping to protect them from the expected storm surge and prolonged flooding.

"I'm leaving," she said, though added her husband was planning on sticking it out. "I'm just doing the best that I can, DiNardo said, as she surveyed the stacks of boxes that filled the garage.

Fairfield University senior Matt Deane, 21, was taking his valuables and heading to his brother-in-law's home in New York City. His housemates were heading back to campus. "I took everything I kind of care about," Deane said.

At the recently rebuilt Penfield Pavilion, where Police Chief Gary MacNamara planned a 2 p.m. press conference to answer questions from the public and the press, sandbags, plywood and plastic sheeting were placed over doorways. Sand was piled high in front of the stairs cases and all picnic tables and lifeguard chairs were removed from the beachfront.

A steady steam of boat trailers could be seen leaving the South Benson Marina, towing vessels inland.

Police strongly recommended that all boat owners remove their boats before the storm hits.

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