Gov. Dannel Malloy declared a State of Emergency Thursday.  He signed the declaration ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

The storm is expected to arrive in Connecticut sometime Sunday afternoon with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain.

“The forecast path of Hurricane Irene has convinced me that the signing of this declaration is necessary, and will help us react more quickly and effectively in the event of a serious weather event,” Malloy said.

The Declaration of Emergency provides the governor with emergency powers including the ability to order evacuations of all or some people in an area threatened during the storm.  It also allows him to order civil preparedness forces into action, and to suspend any state statute, regulation or requirement, such as altering work hours or waiving license requirements.

(Source: NBC Connecticut)