BERLIN, Conn. (November 5, 2012) – One week ago Hurricane Sandy’s high winds and intense storm surges battered the East Coast, leaving behind a path of devastation. Since then, Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) employees and utility responders from across the country and Canada have been hard at work and have restored power to more than 800,000 customers.
“We greatly appreciate the dedication of the thousands of utility responders who came to assist in the massive restoration effort,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P Senior Vice President of Emergency Preparedness. “Thanks to the team effort of these workers, the municipalities we serve, and many state agencies, we were able to achieve our goal of restoring power to the vast majority of customers by Monday or Tuesday. But our work won’t be done until every customer is restored.”
The response to Hurricane Sandy was the first major restoration since the merger of CL&P’s parent company, Northeast Utilities, with Boston-based NSTAR. Employees from every NU operating company - NSTAR, Yankee Gas, Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) and Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) - have come to assist in the effort.
“This was a storm of epic proportions and we’ve demonstrated the power of a bigger, stronger Northeast Utilities,” said Tom May, President and CEO of Northeast Utilities. “We know it’s challenging to be without electricity and thank all of our customers for their patience as around-the-clock efforts continue to restore the remaining customers in hardest hit parts of southwestern Connecticut.”
SAFETY FIRST
Homes or businesses that have experienced flooding or other storm related damage may need to be inspected by local building officials before CL&P can safely restore power to these structures. Customers whose homes or businesses have sustained damage of this nature should contact their local building inspector.
As CL&P works to rebuild and reenergize the electric system, customers are reminded to continue to treat all downed wires – and tree limbs that are in contact with wires – as live, and should stay at least 10 feet away.