BERLIN, Conn. (November 7, 2012) – Hurricane Sandy’s fury left hundreds of thousands of Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) customers without power. The company’s around-the-clock restoration effort has proven to be successful with the last few thousand customers in the hardest hit parts of Southwestern Connecticut now back in service. In total, more than 850,000 customers have been restored.
“Our employees and contractors did a tremendous job repairing damage, restoring power and communicating with our customers throughout the storm response,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P Senior Vice President of Emergency Preparedness. “We appreciate Governor Malloy’s leadership throughout this restoration process as well as the cooperation and communication with key state agencies and the municipalities we serve.”
Due to the severe damage caused by Sandy, CL&P estimates that more than a thousand of its customers will be unable to have electric service restored to their homes or businesses at this time. Customer service representatives are working closely with these customers to outline the steps they need to complete, such as having wiring and equipment inspected by a building inspector, before the company can reconnect their service.
With the help of 2,900 outside line workers, crews have set over a thousand poles; strung more than 100 miles of overhead lines; and replaced 24-hundred transformers and 5-thousand cross arms. Strategically located staging areas around the state were crucial to coordinate thousands of workers, their vehicles, and necessary materials in close proximity to their job sites. Throughout the restoration process, CL&P’s community liaisons have been working closely with city and town officials to ensure effective coordination and information sharing.
“CL&P’s response and communication in this storm was vastly improved,” said Noel Bishop, Westbrook First Selectman. “Our town liaison kept us informed continuously, so we knew progress was being made every day. We know workers were up against obstacles they had never seen before and they handled it well. We appreciate their hard work.”
With Hurricane Sandy restoration now complete thousands of workers are ready to respond to any outages caused by the Nor’easter currently affecting the state.