Power Remains Out For Millions In Northeast; Connecticut Remains Hardest Hit
Millions of people remain without power up and down the East Coast following the freak pre-Halloween snowstorm that snapped tens of thousands of trees and brought low power lines.
Among the hardest hit areas is Connecticut, where much of Connecticut Light and Power (CLP) was off the grid even days after the storm came through. Nearly 650,000 customers are still without power there (which likely puts more than a million people without power), and some tough questions are going to need to be addressed there.
While some of the problems are associated with how much lead time the utility had in lining up mutual aid from other utilities outside the affected area, it seems that CLP’s track record is playing a role too.
On Tuesday, Butler also said that he was aware of reports that a slow response from out-of-state contractors who were hesitant to travel to Connecticut to aid in power restoration was because they had not been paid from their work during tropical storm Irene.
When asked if the non-payment had been an issue that prompted the contractors to avoid showing up sooner in Connecticut this week, Butler said, “I’m not aware that it has been.”
“I know our customers are extremely frustrated,” Butler said. “It’s not a pleasure to have customers without power.”
He added, “Unlike Irene, it’s cold at night. … We recognize the frustration.”
CLP hopes to have power restored to 99% of its customers by Sunday. CLP didn’t request mutual assistance before the storm hit; that alone is reason why it is taking so long - they put themselves at the back of the line as other utilities had already put in their mutual assistance calls (and even where it was done promptly, the damage was that severe).
Even the feds are noticing that something is not quite right with the CLP response; and crews are coming in from other parts of the country to assist, but it’s still going to be a harsh wait for those without power.