Connecticut’s utilities and emergency management teams are gearing for what is being called a ‘Frankenstorm’ early next week, and state officials are urging businesses and residents to do the same.
The latest storm forecasting models from the National Hurricane Center predict Hurricane Sandy making landfall around Delaware on Tuesday morning and working its way up the East Coast, crossing into southwestern New England later on Tuesday or early Wednesday. The hurricane could become more powerful if it is joined by a storm system called a midlatitude trough currently moving west across the country.
Berlin electric utility Connecticut Light & Power has requested 2,000 line repair workers and 700 tree workers from other utilities, mostly in the Midwest, said CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross. If the request is met, they should be in place by Sunday.
New Haven electric utility United Illuminating started contracting with nearby crews on Thursday in preparation for the storm, said UI spokesman Michael West.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was meeting with state emergency and utility officials on Friday morning, preparing the state’s response to the storm, if the forecasting models hold true.
On Oct. 29, 2011, Connecticut was hit by a major snowstorm that caused more than 800,000 outages to CL&P and UI customers – some for up to 11 days. The devastation caused by that storm – along with Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 – led the state and the utilities to place new emphasis on reliability.
CL&P has been working on enhanced tree trimming for the last year, but many of the other programs to ensure reliability aren’t up and running yet – such as a microgrid program to keep the power flowing at critical areas in the state.
Local assistance groups were preparing as well on Friday. Stamford nonprofit AmeriCares said it had reached out to 100 health clinics and food banks with offers of assistance.
“We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario where Hurricane Sandy hits a densely populated area, causing massive flooding, damage to homes and businesses and widespread power outages,” said Garrett Ingoglia, AmeriCares vice president of emergency response. “All of the weather reports indicate this is going be a very serious storm, and we are ready to help in any way we can.”
