Five Things You Need to Know About Bethel Post-Irene

1. Monday's professional development day has been canceled. The first day of school may be postponed. Bethel teachers are not to go back to school today as outages are still prevalent in town. Sunday night, Patch spoke to Board of Education Chairman Larry Craybas who said the postponement of the first day of school, currently scheduled for Tuesday, is likely but has not be official. Parents should be on the look out for an e-mail announcement.

2. Much of Bethel will still be without power. On Sunday, more than half of residents didn't have power and high numbers will continue into Monday. Connecticut Light & Power is sending  to bring power back, but it may take several days for all of Bethel to be restored. The company is making areas with hospitals, schools and nursing homes a priority.

3. If you haven't done so, report your outage to CL&P even if your neighbors already have as every report helps. Call 1-800-286-2000 or text “outage” and your zip code to 24612. Click here for the latest Connecticut outage map .

4. Many phone lines are also down across Bethel, including the ones at the municipal center. If you need to contact someone at the various town departments, find their e-mail from the directory located on the Town of Bethel's website .

5. Still take it easy when driving. There were  of closed or partially blocked or flooded roads from yesterday. Cleaning up the debris around town will also take a day or two. Be careful when driving and take note of blocked routes and flooded areas. Find them on Bethel Patch or on Bethel's Office of Emergency Management Facebook page .