Town Working On Clearing Roads; Then Fixing Power

First Selectman Dan Steward said this morning that the town and Connecticut Light & Power are first focusing on clearing the roads of trees and downed wires today and then the utility company will begin to get the 77 percent of Waterford homes in the dark back on power.

Steward said town workers have been out all night clearing the roads where it is safe to do so – in other words, where there is just trees and debris, not downed wires. Now, they will begin to work with CL&P in areas where wires are downed in the road, with the utility company ensuring the wires are not live before the workers clear the debris.

Then, CL&P will begin to bring back the 7,393 Waterford homes without power back online. Steward said he hopes to have that process begin later today, although was not sure of the timeline.

In the interim, many town roads are impassable in some areas, including Great Neck Road, Susan Terrace and most of the roads at Millstone Point.

Other Important News

• The Waterford Community Center will be open until 8 tonight. There are showers there and there are power outlets for people to charge whatever they need to charge. Additionally, the regional shelter at East Lyme Middle School will remain open. Also, the Planet Fitness in Waterford has opened its doors to the public, and has showers.
• Traffic lights are out throughout most of town. Steward reminded people that people should treat a dead traffic light the same as a stop sign, and people in all four directions should stop before proceeding.
• Steward warned people not to touch downed power lines.
• Steward said many people at the East Lyme shelter are asking if they can come home. He said they can, but warned that they will most likely not have power.
• During Tropical Storm Irene last year, the town gave away water, ice and food to the community. Steward said that might happen again, although it wouldn’t happen until at least Wednesday.