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GREENWICH, Conn. Jennifer Kotz was among the residents without power at the Western Greenwich Civic Center on Monday in the aftermath of a rare October snowstorm that hit the area Saturday.
The last time, after Irene, we were out for seven days. We still dont have a generator, and there was not a spot to be had at the library, said Kotz, a backcountry Greenwich resident who was charging her daughters DVD player and cellphone. Kotz was also using a laptop to check out the Connecticut Light & Power website to see whether the electricity would be back anytime soon.
The state of emergency Gov. Dannel Malloy declared Saturday was still in effect for Tuesday in Greenwich and other towns throughout Connecticut after a snowstorm knocked down trees and caused widespread power outages.
People have been coming in and out. Yesterday we had people coming. Its here as a comfort, said Mary Jones, a volunteer with the Greenwich chapter of the American Red Cross. She was on the second floor of the civic center, where a table was stocked with coffee, tea, juice, snacks and games for kids.
About 3,665 CL&P customers in Greenwich were without power as of Monday night, down from 4,023 Sunday night. During and after the storm, more than 790,000 customers were in the dark statewide, more than after Hurricane Irene hit in August. On Monday night, about 740,000 customers throughout the state were still without power.
After Hurricane Irene, more residents were using the Western Greenwich Civic Center as a shelter, charging station for electronics, and to rejuvenate. Esme Ingledew, chair of volunteers for the American Red Cross, said, After Irene, it was more of a flooding issue and people couldnt stay in their houses because of the water.
CL&P was assessing the scope of damages, and there continues to be no restoration schedule. It deployed seven line crews and three tree crews to Greenwich, up from six line crews and two tree crews on Sunday. On Saturday night, the crews worked through the storm to help Greenwich clear roads and eliminate fires caused by downed lines. The crews will continue working in Greenwich on Tuesday.
Greenwich deployed its tree crews Saturday night and Sunday. Three Greenwich roads remained impassible as of Monday night Dekraft Road, Stag Lane and Cameron Drive.
The Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 449 Pemberwick Road will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Residents can charge their electronic communication devices and enjoy water and snacks. The Greenwich Main Library will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the Byram and Cos Cob branches open for regular hours.
All downed wires should be considered live and lethal. If you are using a vehicle or a generator to charge electronic devices, use them outside. Having your garage door open is not sufficiently safe. Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless and deadly.
The town also asks residents to refrain from placing yard waste and storm debris in the right of way. The Department of Public Works will not remove debris from private property.
To report outages or check the status of an outage, visit CL&P online or call 800-286-2000. The companys automated phone and online systems can process your report and help them speed restoration efforts. You can also get updates on outages in town by texting "outage" and your ZIP code to 24612.
Any complaints regarding CL&P can be made to the Public Utility Regulatory Agency at 1-800-382-4586 or online.
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