CONNECTICUT

Several Connecticut shoreline municipalities are calling for evacuations of low-lying areas.

Bridgeport and Fairfield are issuing evacuation orders for vulnerable communities effective as of noon Sunday. Old Saybrook and East Haven are also calling for people to leave flood-prone areas.

Gov. Dannel Malloy says Connecticut residents should expect to go for a long time without power.

Malloy said on Saturday that the extraordinarily long storm could hamper recovery efforts in a state used for severe weather that generally lasts for 12 hours.

"Folks, this could be bad, really bad. It could impact us in several ways and for a long period of time," Malloy said. "Please take it seriously as we are taking it. We are talking about a potential for high number of power outages and for an extended period of time. We are talking about severe flooding."

Malloy spoke hours after he declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

He says 400 members of the national guard will be on standby to help in recovery efforts. Other preparatory measures include putting additional state police troopers and dispatchers on duty.

The state has launched a site to keep residents up to date on Sandy. It can be found at www.ct.gov/sandy.

I really really hope we're only making a big deal out of nothing here..