Power Outage/Restoration Update – Cheshire

Since Tropical Storm Isaias made landfall on Tuesday, restoration efforts have been underway to restore power across Connecticut. Thousands remain without power making it difficult to escape the extreme heat and to work from home, as many have been doing since the pandemic began.

This afternoon, State Representative Lezlye Zupkus and I joined Governor Lamont at Cheshire Town Hall for a discussion about the storm, the aftermath and Eversource’s preparation and response. Together with Cheshire Town Council Chairman Rob Oris, Town Manager Kimball, Senator Blumenthal and other elected officials, we were able to voice our concerns directly to the governor.

Among the most pressing issues we asked the governor to consider, were Eversource’s lack of adequate preparations, their woeful response once the storm made landfall, and the lack of accurate and up-to-date information for local elected officials and residents. Finally, the delegation asked the governor to convene hearings to make certain these missteps are not repeated.

Given the fact that I represent Wallingford, which has its own power company and experienced a very different response to the storm, as well as Cheshire which is served by Eversource, I offered my assistance to the governor, should he be interested in establishing a task force to investigate the storm response.

Following the discussion, we toured a Cheshire neighborhood that was heavily affected by the storm where residents expressed their frustrations with the storm response directly to local officials. Residents said a large tree caused a major disruption after it took down power and communication lines and blocked the roadway. They said town crews cleared the road quickly but it took days for their power to be restored.

As of this morning, there were still 88,600 Eversource customers without power, with Eversource expecting nearly all customers to have power by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday. However, that means many residents are still looking at extended periods without electricity.

Below is the latest information from Eversource.

• Eversource: Click Here

Eversource has also provided a list of estimated restoration times by town.

It is estimated that Cheshire will be restored by Tuesday, August 11, 11:59 p.m.

Like many of you, I am frustrated with the situation. This year has been challenging for many, and with the added financial pressure of higher electric rates, coupled with Eversource’s lack of preparedness for this storm, many customers want answers, and rightfully so. Once power has been restored statewide, there will be hearings on these issues, and I will provide more information when possible.

With that said, I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the many men and women working on the lines to restore power to us while being away from their own families, putting their safety at risk, and facing challenges in their own lives. May they stay safe.

Cheshire resident Peggy Baker shows Rep. Fishbein a video of a large tree falling across power lines in her neighborhood.