UPDATE, 3 p.m.–Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross responded to First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice’s assessment of the utility as “woefully inadequate,” saying the utility has been doing what they can and that more help is on the way.
”We have five crews there now and four more on the way. Plus we have six damage assessors working in Wilton,” Gross says.
He added what Eversource has been publicizing today: that the vast majority of customers in CT who are without power will have power restored by 11 p.m. on Sunday night.
”We are working as quickly and as safely to get as many back with power before then,” Gross added. He also said that there will be town-specific restoration information available “later today” that the company would communicate via text and website.
Gross did have a message for Wilton:
“We recognize the huge disruption when you lose power, we do understand. This is true for not only Wilton but many towns and we are working hard to restore your power. We value our relationship with the towns and we will be fine-tuning the process of how we respond to future storms.”
BREAKING NEWS, Friday, March 9, 12: 30 p.m.–First selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice just released her noon-time robo-call update to Wilton residents about progress on power restoration after the storm, and she didn’t pull any punches with her assessment of Eversource’s response. Noting that Wilton has 2,200 customers still without power, and that the utility has just three crews in Wilton working on downed wires, she called the number, “woefully inadequate.”
“Almost 600 outages have been restored since last evening, yet we still have over 2,200 without power in Wilton. Three crews are woefully inadequate to handle our number of outages. We continue to reach out through every channel possible to advocate for additional assistance,” Vanderslice said.
What’s more, Vanderslice tells GOOD Morning Wilton that the information from Eversource has been limited and at times inconsistent. “Our Eversource representative is working to get us the information we need to better assist residents,” she added.
Wilton DPW, Fire, and Parks & Grounds crews continue to work in town to open roads and clear trees.
Eversource has said that an estimate for power restoration would be provided later today.
GOOD Morning Wilton is reaching out to Eversource for a response. The full text of Vanderslice’s statement is below.
Eversource currently has 3 crews in Wilton working on downed wires. Additional restoration efforts are being performed remotely. If you currently have power, you may experience a temporary outage should it be necessary to repair an existing outage.
Almost 600 outages have been restored since last evening, yet we still have over 2,200 without power in Wilton. Three crews are woefully inadequate to handle our number of outages. We continue to reach out through every channel possible to advocate for additional assistance.
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to sign up for Eversource outage alerts. Information is on their website. The alerts should provide you with an estimate for power restoration
DPW, Fire and Parks and Grounds crews are continuing their work to open roads.
The Emergency Operations Center remains open and an Eversource employee continues to remain onsite.
The Senior Center, Comstock, the Library and Y are all open today.
Late this afternoon, Eversource is expected to provide an estimate for full power restoration. After which I will provide another update. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact me at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org.
Thank you for your continued patience.