CL&P Opens Emergency Operations Center

As Hurricane Irene makes her way to our state, Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) has opened its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Berlin. 

There have been reports that the company might cut power at midnight to make roadways safer but spokesman Mitch Gross said there is no truth to that rumor. 

About 800 CL&P and contractor line and tree crews are ready to restore power to customers affected by outages. "Our CL&P crews are ready to go to work as soon as it is safe to do so and we have additional support crews beginning to arrive from as far away as Florida, Ohio and Michigan," said Jeff Butler, CL&P president and chief operating officer.  "We continue communicating with town and state officials to make sure all of our efforts are coordinated." 

“During the height of the storm, we will not have our crews out in the field.  Their safety is as important to us as the safety of the public we serve,” said Butler.  “Once conditions allow, we will begin responding to 911 calls to de-energize downed wires and make the area safe.  At the same time, we will work with town public works crews to clear roads for emergency vehicles and begin restoring power to our customers.”   

During the storm, CL&P is encouraging customers to: 
·        Stay at least 10 feet away from all wires! Assume any downed, hanging or burning power lines are live and dangerous. If a power line falls on your vehicle while you’re inside, stay there.  Don’t touch anything outside the vehicle and wait for emergency crews.  Call 9-1-1 immediately with any emergency condition.   
·        To report outages or check the status of an outage visit cl-p.com or call 800-286-2000.  Our automated phone and on-line systems rapidly process your report and help us speed restoration efforts.  They also provide restoration estimates as soon as they’re available. 
·        Do you have a generator?  Make sure it has been properly installed by a licensed electrician.  Improperly installed generators can feed electricity back into power lines and pose a deadly situation for line and emergency restoration workers.  Always operate generators outdoors to avoid carbon monoxide hazards.