Joseloff: Gov. Rell is 'Very Concerned About Westport'

In the wake of the weekend's storm that brought heavy rain and high winds, downing trees, blocking roads and cutting power to thousands of residents, Westport remains in a state of restoration.

After two phone calls with Governor M. Jodi Rell Monday and a visit from the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said Rell is "very concerned about Westport and Connecticut Light & Power having enough manpower here."

"I think we were overpromised," Joseloff said of CL&P's efforts. "They just didn't have the manpower on hand to do the job."

As of Monday morning, Joseloff said the Emergency Operations Center — located at the Westport Fire Headquarters — identified 50 primary roads in need of service for downed trees and power lines. Include the secondary roads and that number jumps to 134 roadways in need of repair as of Monday morning, according to Westport police.

By early Monday evening, Joseloff said there was about 40 primary roads left to service, and added that crews would continue to work until about 11 p.m. He expected Compo Road North and Saugatuck Avenue to be the first roads to reopen.

"It's just very slow," Joseloff said. "There's major damage and we're finding roads and poles we didn't even know were knocked down."

As of midnight Tuesday, CL&P reported more than 4,752 Westport customers were still without power. The utility doesn't expect full restoration until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"I think they'd be hard pressed to do that," Joseloff said of the utility's goal. 

CL&P sent 22 line crews and 10 tree crews to Westport and reported 30 poles in need of replacement, utility spokesman Jeff Tilghman said Monday afternoon.

"The Southwest corner was hit the hardest," Tilghman said. "We have 225 crews working in that Southwest portion in the state and more coming in from Ohio, Vermont, Canada, Massachusetts and New Hampshire." 

Joseloff said the town was originally told 65 crews would report to aid in Westport's restoration by end of the day Monday, but those crews were ultimately shared among all of Southwestern Connecticut. While Stamford and Norwalk had larger outages after the storm, those residents saw power return more quickly than Westporters. At midnight, CL&P reported Stamford and Norwalk having 22 percent and 16 percent of customers respectively without power while Westport still experienced outages near the 40 percent range.

The outages fluctuated for residents during the day Monday because CL&P must turn off power in some areas to ensure downed wires are dead and safe for crews to remove.

"The damage is so severe in some cases, it's not your normal day-to-day fix a downed wire," Joseloff said. "Some of these are massive entanglements and some of the crews frankly are not familiar with Westport and some are sitting on the roadside for hours waiting for power to be shut down (by CL&P)."

The result of the damage is that some Westporters are trapped at home and can't leave because of downed trees and wires blocking their driveways or roadways into town.

"People have called here literally crying," Joseloff said, adding that with winds of up to 70 mph Saturday, the storm was akin to a Category 1 hurricane.

When Gov. Rell toured the damage in Fairfield County on Monday, she said the storm was among "the most destructive to ever hit" the Southwestern portion of the state.

"Power lines are down, countless homes and businesses are damaged and thousands of trees – some as large as five-feet in diameter – were simply bowled over," she said in a news release.

At least three deaths in Connecticut are also associated with the storm, including a New Jersey woman who died in an accident on Park Lane in Westport Saturday.

After reviewing the damage and discussing the situation with local leaders, the governor declared a state of emergency on Monday.

"The winds have knocked over signs and blown down power poles and – of course – falling tree limbs have taken down additional utility lines," she said in the release. "State and municipal crews are working as fast as they can to clear the roads and utility crews are out in force to get power restored. But this is a monumental job and it will take some time."

At Rell's direction, the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) is working with Connecticut cities and towns to tally damage to public property and to homes and businesses, as well as expenses incurred in responding to the storm, to determine whether the state could qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Rell said federal disaster assistance will be sought if minimum damage requirements are met. For Fairfield County, a minimum of $2.85 million in damage must be recorded for the county to qualify for federal disaster assistance. For state government's expenditures to qualify for federal reimbursement, the state would need to incur $4.39 million in costs.

DEMHS Commissioner Peter Boynton also held a conference call with chief elected officials and first responders to determine whether communities needed any additional help from the state. He also visited Westport Monday to speak with Joseloff and Westport Fire Chief Chris Ackley, who is also the director of emergency management.

"He (Boynton) was here before the governor called," Joseloff said. "I complained on the conference call this morning (with state officials), that we weren't getting DOT crews to do their own work. They've been concentrating on the Merritt and before that call was over, we had someone from the DOT call us. ...I'm complaining loudly and it's working, so we got the attention of the state. No question."

During the teleconference, state officials reported assistance for homeowners suffering major damage from tree strikes would be available if the level of such damage rises to at least 100 homes struck.

The Westport Fire Department reported on Sunday it had responded to at least 27 homes that were hit by falling trees.

Rell has also called on officials from municipalities whose towns were not affected by the storm to loan equipment — such as wood chippers, bucket trucks, front-end loaders — and personnel to those communities that were hardest-hit. Calling it "a modern-day barn raising," the governor told town leaders that while federal or state reimbursement for the loans is not available, "they could one day find their generosity reciprocated when their own town is in need."

At Rell's request, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has agreed to serve as a clearinghouse for communities willing to share resources.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Transportation is working to reopen more than two dozen Fairfield County locations where roads have been closed due to flooding, downed trees or the presence of live wires.

Joseloff said he doesn't know what the "very expensive" storm will ultimately cost Westport, but added "that's not the concern right now."

"We are concerned with protecting life and safety and getting power back," he said. "Costs are secondary."

Due to the damage and at Joseloff's advice, Superintendent of Westport Public Schools Elliott Landon has closed schools Tuesday.

The Westport Public Library, Westport Center for Senior Activities and the Westport Weston Family Y are open to those seeking power and a warm place.