Latest Update from Eversource
Good Afternoon, Wilton. Eversource says that they expect to have 99% of Wilton's power restored by 6pm tomorrow. Again, if you are experiencing an outage, please report it by calling 800-286-2000, or texting “out” to 23129 from your cell phone. You may also visit the Eversource website to register any problems or concerns. Below is the latest update from Eversource.
Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 11:30 a.m.
Eversource Worked Safely Overnight to Restore Customers and Schools
Operational Status: EMERGENCY
Electric Emergency Response Plan (ERP) Incident Level: ERP Level 4 (Moderate Impact)
Gas Emergency Response Plan (ERP) Incident Level: ERP Level 5 (Minor Impact)
Overview
Eversource expects to be substantially complete on restoration of customers affected by the storm by 11 p.m. on Wednesday. Many customers will be restored today. We plan to develop and publish town-level ETRs later this afternoon to allow our customers to plan accordingly.
Crews worked diligently overnight, prioritizing safety, to clear block roads and restore power. Some additional outages occurred overnight from the lingering winds.
Eversource has restored about 171,000 customers who lost power during this storm, with about 22,000 remaining, primarily in eastern Connecticut.
All of the 33 schools that were without power as of 6 p.m. yesterday were restored overnight. There are 20 critical facilities remaining without power that crews are actively addressing.
Weather conditions will be dry today with slightly breezy winds. Gusts of 25-30 mph with an occasional gust of 30 mph will continue throughout the day, lasting into the evening.
Eversource continues to focus on clearing blocked roads. We have cleared 330 blocked roads and there are 17 remaining.
Our crews will continue to work hard on around-the-clock shifts until all our customers are restored, as quickly and safely as possible.
RESOURCE PLANNING
Crew and resource staging centers are set up in the east and west portions of the state to address the hardest hit areas.
Eversource’s Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) in Hartford, New London and Newtown remain open.
Additional crew resources were secured for this morning and more will be arriving today to assist with restoration efforts for this multi-day event.
PERSONNEL AVAILABLE FOR DECEMBER 18, 2023, STORM
Distribution Line Crews Total
676
Eversource Crews
63
Contractor Crews
613
Transmission Crews Total
0
Eversource Crews
0
Contractor Crews
0
Service Crews
53
RSO Trouble Shooters
103
Substation Electricians
129
Tree Crews
313
Damage Assessors
186
Wire Guards
194
Crew numbers will change as we secure and/or release resources. Response Specialist Organization (RSO) Trouble Shooters are Eversource lineworkers in addition to total Distribution Line Crews.
GAS OPERATIONS
Due to severe erosion, a 10-foot section of gas main was exposed on Bushnell Hollow Road in Baltic, CT. The site is safe and crews are monitoring the situation. Eversource is coordinating today with local DPW to coordinate a restoration strategy to repair the road.
Gas Operations remains at ERP Level 5 (minor impact) and is expected to resume normal operations at noon today.
Gas crews have begun a precautionary leak survey of the gas distribution system to ensure no additional damage has occurred due to the storm.
Gas Operations is supporting Electric Operations storm response across MA and CT.
STORM COMMUNICATIONS
Customers without power have received three emails, text messages or phone calls (according to customer choice) alerting them that full restoration from the storm will take multiple days with many customers being restored sooner.
A press event was held yesterday to update media on our restoration progress.
A news release was distributed yesterday informing customers of our restoration progress and another will be issued this afternoon.
Eversource Regulatory Affairs continues to provide updates to state regulators and other state agencies.
Eversource Community Liaisons continue to stay engaged with municipalities and are actively responding to inquiries from municipal officials.
Communities are actively engaged and using the Eversource Municipal Hub to report priorities.
The utility liaison has been activated to facilitate coordination on pole and wire repair and pole replacement with third-party attachment companies and joint pole owners as necessary.
Eversource Social Media is monitoring all channels and is sharing damage and restoration photos as they come in.
The homepage of Eversource.com is displaying storm information and how to report an outage.
APPROVED BY:
Chris Colorio, Connecticut Incident Commander, Electric Operations
Kevin Kelley, Incident Commander, Gas Operations
CT Eversource Liaison Organization Team