BERLIN, Conn. (November 2, 2012) – An army of reinforcements continues to grow today in an all-out effort to restore power to the remaining CL&P customers still without power as a result of Hurricane Sandy. The total number of storm responders is now more than 6,000, with 500 line workers joining the effort today from Northeast Utilities (NU) sister companies NSTAR, Public Service of New Hampshire, and Western Massachusetts Electric (WMECo), along with our Canadian partner Hydro Québec. In all, workers have come from 16 states and four Canadian provinces.
Since the height of the storm Monday, CL&P and mutual aid crews have restored power to more than 600,000 customers, and the company continues to expect that the vast majority of its customers will have power restored by Tuesday.
“We continue to make great progress, and we are confident that this integrated and strategic approach to mobilizing thousands of skilled line and field workers will enable us to accelerate the effort to restore power to all of our customers,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P Senior Vice President of Emergency Preparedness. “We appreciate the patience and support of our communities as we continue to focus on full-scale restoration of large blocks of customers as well as critical customers identified by town officials.”
While large trees still block roads in some of the hardest hit areas, workers have made significant progress in clearing thousands of roads across the state and restoring power to the majority of critical facilities. Additional resources are being deployed to the most severely damaged areas, where entire sections of the electric system require rebuilding.
SAFETY FIRST
As the restoration effort continues, safety remains the top priority for CL&P workers and customers. CL&P reminds customers to be cautious while moving or cutting tree limbs and to look carefully for any wires that may be entangled in debris. Customers should continue to treat all downed power lines, and tree limbs that are in contact with lines, as live and should stay at least 10 feet away.
Also, any customer using a generator should make sure it has been installed properly for their own safety, and the safety of line workers working to restore power. For important generator safety tips, check out CL&P’s “Using a Generator Safely” video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/IMD1pZc3EHM.
OUTAGE REPORTING & UPDATES
To report a power outage, call CL&P at 800-286-2000 or use the “Report an Outage” link at www.cl-p.com. As crews are dispatched to make specific repairs, the estimated restoration times for those repairs will be updated at this same phone number and under the “My Outage Status” link online. For tips and updates from CL&P, follow us on Twitter @CTLightandPower and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ctlightandpower.