CL&P Assesses Damage Caused by Hurricane Irene

Connecticut Light and Power spent Monday clearing roads and assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. Officials are expected to have a better estimate later today on when power will be returned to all customers in the state. 

"On a scale of 10, this was a 9 1/2,"  CL&P Energy Delivery Services Vice President Kenneth Bowes said about Hurricane Irene. 

Bowes said that it could take up to a week or even longer to get all CL&P customers' power back.

"We will have a much better idea once the assessment is done," Bowes said. 

There are currently 419,518 CL&P customers in 148 cities and towns still without power as of 6 a.m. The hardest hit area was the eastern part of the state, Bowes said. 

"Our initial reports are looking more positive," Bowes said.  

CL&P crews were working on clearing roads and handling emergency and life-threatening situations on Monday. Then, they will turn their attention to high priority facilities like hospitals, police and fire departments, waste water plants and nursing homes.

CL&P also began a push to get power back to all the schools in the state. That push will continue today.  

The widespread power outage from Irene is the largest CL&P has seen since Hurricane Gloria struck the state in 1985, knocking out power to more than 477,000 customers.

Bowes said the high wind speeds made it difficult for workers to work Sunday morning, however the winds did subside for a extended period of time. 

"We were afforded a nice window," Bowes said. During that "window," CL&P crews were able to restore power to quite a few customers, Bowes added. 

There are 310 tree contractors, 120 from Connecticut, and 470 line crews working to restore power throughout the state. 

"We have ramped up our tree contractors dramatically," Bowes said. 

Workers came from following states to work with CL&P and restore power to Connecticut.

• Alabama
• Colorado 
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Michigan 
• Ohio
• Tennessee

Employees from Hydro-Quebec, which is located in Canada, also came to Connecticut to help restore power.