Governor Ned Lamont is urging towns and cities with residents who are continuing to experience power outages resulting from Friday’s storm to continue their work providing warming centers and shelters as needed.
As of noon on Saturday, the utility companies reported that residents in 93 towns and cities in Connecticut were experiencing outages. A total of 39 of them have an estimated time of power restoration of 6:00 pm on Saturday; 38 have an estimated time of power restoration of midnight Saturday night; and 16 have an estimated time of power restoration for 8:00am on Sunday.
“Warming centers and shelters are open throughout the state, and anyone in need of shelter can call 2-1-1 to find the nearest available locations,” Governor Lamont said in a release.
“The extreme cold being experienced right now by a vast majority of the nation poses a threat to the health and safety to those without heat, and our municipalities must continue to offer warmth and shelter to those who need it, especially as Christmas Eve approaches,” he added.
Lamont said he had spoken with the utility companies, and they promised to restore power as soon as possible, including with the help of thousands of out-of-state line workers who are spending their holiday to help with restoration.
A message from Eversource Saturday morning at 11:30 said that as of 11:00 the energy company had restored power to more than 173,000 customers since the storm began, but that approximately 30,000 Eversource customers remained without power.
“I am truly grateful for our state and municipal employees, partners, and utility providers sacrificing their holiday weekend and time with families to serve the people of Connecticut,” Lamont said.
Here in Greenwich, as of 2:00pm, the Eversource outage map indicated 159 customers were affected.
“We recognize how difficult it is to be without power, especially with extreme cold and as we approach Christmas,” said President of Eversource Connecticut Steve Sullivan.
“We’re at the point of the restoration where the repairs made at one location may only bring back a dozen customers, so the outage numbers won’t be dropping as quickly as they did earlier in the restoration,” Sullivan explained. “Our massive team – in the field and behind the scenes – is fully committed to getting power restored to the remaining customers affected by this storm. I personally want to thank the men and women working who gave up their holiday time off with their families to work on this restoration. They’ve done a tremendous job.”
Governor Lamont activated the state’s severe cold weather protocol beginning at 6:00pm on Friday, December 23, 2022, and continuing through 12:00pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.
The purpose of the protocol is to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive protection from the severe cold conditions. While enacted, a system is set up for state agencies and municipalities to coordinate with United Way 2-1-1 and Connecticut’s network of shelters to make sure that anyone in need can receive shelter from the outdoors, including transportation to shelters.
Anyone in need of shelter or a warming center is urged to call 2-1-1 to find the nearest available locations. This list can also be found online by visiting 211ct.org and clicking the link at the top of the page that says, “Cold Weather Information.”
See also:
Camillo Urges Greenwich Residents to Take Precautions as Temperatures Drop
Severe Cold Weather Protocol in Effect