United Illuminating said in a release today that it has brought in additional line and tree crews and mobilized employees to work over the holiday weekend in advance of a storm expected to bring heavy rain and high winds overnight tonight.
Forecasts call for rain and potentially damaging winds starting tonight and intensifying into the early morning hours on Friday. Gusts could reach 60 miles per hour, powerful enough to bring down trees and limbs, damage electrical equipment and cause service interruptions.
UI said outages could be widespread across its service territory, which includes Milford and Orange, and customers should be prepared for the possibility of multiple-day outages. Downpours combined with melting snow could also cause localized flooding and associated hazards.
“At UI we have an obligation to provide safe and reliable service to our customers, and to restore service quickly when power goes out. That obligation is 365 days a year, including holidays, and you can rest assured that our crews, contractors and support staff are ready to respond. They will stay on the job until every customer has service,” UI President Frank Reynolds said.
UI said it has been actively preparing for the storm all week, and in addition to crews working today and overnight will have a full complement of crews activated to restore service on Friday, with additional line and tree contractors standing ready to join the effort. Line crews are also en route from other states to participate in the restoration effort should they be needed.
The company’s Emergency Operations Center will open tonight and remain open through the course of the event. The Customer Care Center will be staffed over the holiday and weekend as required. On request, UI will assign liaisons and dedicate crews to work with local towns and cities to make roads safe and restore local priorities. The company will also have staff assigned to take emergency calls from 911 dispatchers.
The electric utility was widely criticized along with Eversource – which has a much larger territory in Connecticut – over its restoration efforts after Tropical Storm Isaias left thousands of customers without power for days in August.
UI advises customers to be prepared year-round for the possibility of weather-related outages, and to have a plan in case of an extended loss of service. Customers can find safety and readiness information, and other resources, at uinet.com.