In what one utility executive likened to an unprecedented double whammy, for the second time in two months Connecticut businesses found themselves recovering from a massive storm ”“ and perhaps giving stronger consideration to disaster recovery checkboxes like extra insurance, generators and flex-work plans.
On Halloween, President Obama signed an emergency declaration for the state of Connecticut following the October nor”™easter, a first-step often leading to opening up access to businesses and residents for low-interest loans from federal agencies as they recover.
Connecticut businesses and residents impacted by Tropical Storm Irene had until Nov. 3 to register for federal disaster assistance.
Unlike the case with Irene, the October nor”™easter damaged transmission lines in the western part of the state, complicating efforts by Connecticut Light & Power to restore electricity to communities.
Early restoration projections from Connecticut Light & Power suggested it would take until Sunday, Nov. 6 to re-establish power in a handful of municipalities across the state, including Danbury.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the state focused first on getting power restored to central commercial districts, to get gas stations, pharmacies, stores and other vital service providers operational in their communities. That was the first step in a recovery that extended to ordering additional generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, ensuring hundreds of cell-phone towers had generators operating among other steps.
“A lesson learned in Irene,” Malloy said. “We are absolutely, 100 percent mindful of the difficulties that our fellow citizens are living with and we are going to do everything we can to help them.”
Early signs point to the October nor”™easter having an equally devastating effect as Irene on life, property and the electric grid. As of Tuesday following the nor”™easter, Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating Co. had nearly 790,000 customers still without power, with cold nights following the storm”™s wake.
The storm impacted workers and commuters in myriad fashions, with Malloy ordering the shutdown of the Merritt Parkway, some gas stations running low on gas, the Danbury and Waterbury branches of Metro-North switching over to buses and some schools closed the entire week.
“To go through two record events in two months is something I haven”™t dealt with in my career,” said Jeff Butler, president of Connecticut Light & Power, in a media briefing. “To have large numbers of customers out for an extended period of time is something that is frustrating to us as well.”
