Strong winds from a weekend nor’easter battered Connecticut on Saturday, sending trees and branches crashing into power lines and leaving thousands without electricity. The hardest‑hit area was the town of Lyme, where an issue at a substation in nearby Essex caused a widespread outage.
Local residents feel the impact
Lyme resident George Kendall described the scene: “A lot of trees have fallen, and this has been a significant event.” Kendall, who lost power along with many of his neighbors, added, “This is one that stuck around. A lot of them come roaring through and then that’s it.”
Another resident, Tom Wilson, echoed the inconvenience: “We lost power so it’s not too convenient.” The town’s public library opened its doors as a temporary shelter, offering Wi‑Fi and a warm place to wait while crews worked.
For some, the outage meant relying on generators. Kendall admitted, “You need some alternative power source unless you want to be out of business. I never had a generator before, but I’m glad I have one now.”
Utility response
United Illuminating (UI), which serves shoreline communities including New Haven and Milford, reported that it had restored power to 25,000 customers by Sunday afternoon. UI spokesperson Angela Baccaro said, “Our crews have been clearing debris, addressing downed wires, and making repairs.”
Eversource, the larger utility covering much of the state, said its crews restored power to more than 146,000 customers during the same period, including those in Lyme. The company brought in additional crews from out of state to bolster the effort. “We have hundreds of line and tree crews out there working. We brought in out‑of‑state crews as well as outside crews to complement our own internal crews. So, they are all working 24/7 to restore power for all customers,” explained Eversource spokesperson Jamie Ratliff.
Ratliff added that the outage map continued to shrink as repairs progressed: “They’re making repairs and will continue to do so until everyone affected by this storm has their power back.”
Looking ahead
While the immediate crisis is abating, officials remind residents that severe weather can strike again. Preparing emergency kits, keeping flashlights and batteries on hand, and having a backup power source are prudent steps for families and small businesses alike.
Local leaders continue to coordinate with the utilities to ensure rapid response to any future outages, emphasizing the importance of resilient infrastructure for the safety and well‑being of Connecticut’s neighborhoods.
Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.
