Eversource crews are continuing to work to restore power as more than 13,000 customers remain in the dark Saturday afternoon.
According to the state’s largest utility provider, several towns throughout the state are reporting outages due to heavy winds knocking down trees. The electric company’s outage map shows several towns with hundreds of customers still without power. Killingly is reporting the most outages with 1,199 Eversource customers without power. Several other towns including Haddam, East Haddam, Hampton, Guilford, Old Saybrook, and Stonington all have over 300 customers without power. The electric company provides service to over 1.3 million customers.
Hundreds of line and tree crews are out making repairs to the electric system, according to Eversource. Since noon on Saturday, the energy company said it had restored power to more than 85,000 customers and cleared more than 190 blocked roads. Outside crews have been brought in to assist with the efforts.
Gusty wind conditions are expected to continue to impact the state overnight, which may cause additional damage and outages, Eversource said.
“We recognize this is a busy time for our customers, preparing for the holidays and our line and tree crews are working tirelessly around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” said Eversource President of Connecticut Electric Operations Steve Sullivan in a statement. “Overnight we did see winds ramp back up, which caused more trees and limbs to fall and damage the electric system.”
“Those wind gusts are expected to continue through Sunday, which may cause additional outages. While we continue to make good progress, we’re at the stage of the restoration process where outages often require extensive repairs that are labor intensive and time-consuming and will only bring back a handful of customers. Our massive team working in the field and behind the scenes is committed to this restoration and will stay on the job until power is back for every single customer affected,” he said.
Eversource says most customers impacted by the storm will see their power returned by Sunday evening.
The energy company said they are reminding customers to always stay clear of downed wires – including keeping pets away – and report them immediately to 9–1–1 and to report any outage online at www.eversource.com, or by calling 800-286-2000.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]