Politics & Government

Investigation into Storm Response Continues

Gov. Rell is asking the utility companies to host public hearings in the affected towns.

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that the investigation she ordered into the actions of the state's two largest electric utilities during and after the March 13-14 storm is now in full swing.

Beginning today, the Department of Public Utility Control and the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security are sending Connecticut Light & Power Co. and United Illuminating Co. numerous requests for information. Through comprehensive interrogatories, the agencies are seeking details such as how the utilities responded to calls from city leaders, fire and police chiefs and others; when and how repair crews were dispatched; and why it took as long as a six days for some customers to have power restored.

"I also want the DPUC and DEMHS to make sure this investigation focuses on the experiences of the people most affected," Rell said in a news release. "That means the emergency officials who could not reach CL&P and UI during the storm, and the tens of thousands of customers who waited days their power to come back on.

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

"There are several ways that customers can contact the DPUC," the Governor said. "They can call the agency's Consumer Representative hot line at (800) 382-4586, or fill out a comment form on the DPUC's Web site at www.ct.gov/DPUC.

In addition, I have asked the investigators to have public hearings in Fairfield County to gather public testimony, although the times and locations are not yet determined. All of the public comments will become a part of the formal record for this case."

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

The severe storms brought high winds and heavy rains that contributed to the deaths of three people, downed thousands of trees and tree limbs, snapped hundreds of utility poles and left nearly 100,000 Connecticut homes and businesses without power.

 Tens of thousands of customers were without power for three days or more and some customers were without power for as long as six days. Municipal and emergency officials complained that initial response to the widespread power outages was slow. On March 16, the Governor asked the DPUC and DEMHS to conduct a joint investigation into the complaints.

"The goal of this investigation is to make sure the companies are responding in the proper way to emergency situations," Rell said in the release. "It is simply unacceptable for a municipal official or a first responder to be unable to reach a utility company in a crisis like we had during the storm. Similarly, I want to know whether all the necessary resources were out there as quickly as they should have been and used as efficiently as they should have been. Too many people were without power for far too long."


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