Town Still Cleaning Up From Storm

Thunder, lightning, hail and wind...oh my.

It was a crazy weather night Thursday in the area and Berlin was not spared as thunderstorms featuring all of the above rumbled through town.

Several roads were closed even on Friday, including parts of Chamberlain Highway.

Many residents lost power for a long period of time Thursday into Friday.

The Connecticut Light and Power outage map said that as of 10 p.m. Friday only 68 customers in Berlin were still without power.

On Thursday night a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was forced to move from Town Hall to McGee Middle School because the Town Hall complex lost power.

The Berlin Peck Library was closed on Friday with a simple sign on the door saying "Closed due to lack of power."

Over at Timberlin Golf Course many branches and at least on tree came down during the storm.

"We lost a white birch between the first and seventh holes but it was all rotted out so that's why it fell," said Bill Dornfried from the course maintenance crew. "We got out here bright and early and took care of all the big branches that came down so we're ready to go."

Timberlin hosted the Joseph Manzi Memorial Golf Tournament with 118 golfers but had no power in the pro shop or the Par for the Course Restaurant. In the pro shop, instead of the high-tech computerized cart signs and starter sheets, it was old fashioned pencils and pens and paper.

"I am hoping that all the carts make it around for the entire 18 hole round," Head Golf Professional Marc Bayram said of the electric cart fleet. "They didn't get any charge last night but I think they'll be fine."

In the restaurant, Remzi Asani scrambled to save food and was lucky enough that the steaks for the tournament's steak dinner came in on Friday morning and not earlier in the week.

"We'll be able to grill outside so we'll be all right...what are you going to do? Right?" Asani said.