At least one Knoxville resident is taking to shelter on the eastern seaboard as Hurricane Sandy enters the mainland. Dave Gilbert is taking shelter at the Marriott Hotel in Farmington, Connecticut, which is south of Hartford. He tells KNIA/KRLS News that the winds outside are sustained at about 60 miles per hour, and, as of around 2:30 central time, lights were flickering but had not gone out yet.

Farmington’s about an hour from the coast, where Gilbert says flooding is appearing to become a major problem. He says that when the tide came in this morning, the winds kept it in and didn’t allow the low tide to occur. The news reports he’s hearing say that another high tide is due to come in soon and cause major problems on the coast.

Gilbert assures KNIA/KRLS that he’s safe and prepared in the hotel he’s at. He had gone out to Connecticut for work training. That has been cancelled.