Politics & Government

Gov. Rell Seeks Probe of Utility Response to Storm

"Too many people are still without power and too many questions are unanswered," the governor said Tuesday.

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced she has asked the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to examine the actions of the state's two largest electric utilities in regard to their initial response to Saturday's severe storm.

The storm that brought driving rain and winds upwards of 65 mph to the region contributed to the deaths of at least three people — including a New Jersey woman who died in Westport Saturday — downed thousands of trees and tree limbs, snapped hundreds of utility poles and left nearly 100,000 Connecticut homes and businesses without power.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 39,700 residents across the state were still without power. At noon, 4,508 Westporters were still without power and First Selectman Gordon Joseloff announced residents along the main roads would see power by midnight Wednesday. Those on private roads might not see it until this weekend, he said.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Governor Rell said she heard from many municipal leaders, fire and police chiefs and emergency management officials who complained that  Connecticut Light & Power Co. (CL&P) and United Illuminating Co. (UI) were slow to respond to the storm Saturday night and Sunday. The officials told the Governor they had trouble reaching utility officials – often getting voice mail or no answer at all – and said that they saw relatively few utility crews on the job in the first two days of the storm.

Joseloff said Westport was overpromised crews, which has contributed to the slow restoration. He expects roads to be cleared by Wednesday night. Due to the continued emergency, the Westport Center for Senior Activities has been reopened as a shelter tonight.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 "This was a huge storm that did serious damage – miles of wire and dozens of utility poles were affected," Rell said in a news release issued today. "Thousands of Connecticut residents remain without power even now – three days after the storm, with nighttime lows still dipping into the 30s. And it is flatly unacceptable for a fire or police official to be unable to reach a 'real person' at a utility company in the middle of an emergency. We need to know what went wrong, why it happened and how to keep it from happening again.

 "I have asked DEMHS and the DPUC to look at the initial communication problems and to pull individual work crew records for Saturday and Sunday," she continued. "I want to know whether all the necessary resources were out there as quickly and for as long as they should have been. Too many people are still without power and too many questions are unanswered."


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