Submitted by Mitch Gross, Eversource.
BERLIN, Conn. (August 10, 2020) – Eversource’s battalion of line and tree crews continue working non-stop to restore power and, in some cases, rebuild the electric system after the widespread, historic damage caused by Tropical Storm Isaias. While adhering to strict COVID-19 safety protocols, crews have restored power to more than 80,000 since yesterday and expect restoration to the nearly 75,000 customers still without power to be substantially complete by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Due to high heat expected today and over the next several days, Eversource encourages customers without power to contact 2-1-1 of Connecticut to find a cooling center near them.
“We know how urgently customers need their power restored, especially right now given the pandemic and hot summer weather, and we are making significant progress,” said Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom. “Our crews and the thousands of out-of-state crews working alongside them have done a tremendous job under difficult conditions – working in the heat while abiding by social distancing and pandemic safety protocols. The field crews and thousands of support personnel working behind the scenes are committed to staying on the job until every customer has their power back.”
In the process of restoring power to all those affected by Isaias, some customers may lose power as a necessary step for crews to safely make needed repairs to restore service to many more customers.
The energy company continues to assess the catastrophic damage to its electric system, including replacing roughly 550 miles of downed wire, the equivalent of driving from Hartford to Cleveland, Ohio. It has also replaced more than 2,000 broken utility poles, 1,000 damaged transformers, removed 10,000 downed trees, and cleared 1,200 blocked roads. Crews are making complex repairs and, in some cases, rebuilding entire portions of the electric system, which can be time intensive.
Eversource encourages customers without power to confirm that the service line from their house to the pole is connected without damage. The energy company is also proactively reaching out to customers we suspect may have a service line-related outage. Customers should continue to stay at least 10 feet away from any downed wire and contact 9-1-1 and Eversource to report a problem.
