West Hartford officials are continuing to monitor restoration efforts, are communicating with Eversource, and have provided a list of resources for those who are still without power. [Updated]
By Ronni Newton
Updated, Oct. 18, 6 p.m.
Town of West Hartford officials sent out an update on power restoration efforts late Friday afternoon, and said that as of 4:17 p.m., 91 customers were without power. By 6 p.m., that number had dropped to 77.
According to the town, “Eversource said that the rate of restoration is picking up and they are restoring the smaller outages faster. Eversource expects all power will be restored by 6 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 20, and are optimistic it will be sooner.”
Crews were focused on outages on Jensen Court and Shadow Lane, and were set to begin work on Auburn, Ridgewood and Hillcrest.
A significant outage remained on Fairfield Road, and crews were en route to remove a downed tree prior to restoring the service.
“We have, and will continue to be, communicating with Eversource representatives about the restoration of power to all residents,” the the town’s press release stated.
Residents can visit the town’s libraries on Saturday, where there is heat and they can charge their electronic devices and have internet access, town officials said. The Noah Webster Library, at 20 South Main St., will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and the Faxon and Bishops Corner branch libraries will be open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Original story
An intense storm Wednesday evening brought several inches of rain to the West Hartford area, followed by strong winds that continued throughout the day Thursday, and as of Friday morning, more than 150 customers in town remained without power and some secondary roadways are still blocked due to dangling power and other utility lines.
“As the West Hartford community wakes up, town officials have been monitoring outages. Currently, there are multiple small outages across town. We have, and will continue to be, communicating with Eversource representatives about the restoration of power to all residents,” Fire Chief Greg Priest said in an email.
“While clear restoration times are not yet available, based on a situation report from Eversource last night, multiple mutual aid power companies are expected into Connecticut today to assist with the workload. Undoubtedly, additional resources will be deployed by Eversource to the hardest hit areas across the state but we expect with more crews in state more will be deployed to West Hartford to expedite the return of power.”
As of 8:30 a.m., there were 168 customers in West Hartford without power, representing 0.58 percent of Eversource customers. Statewide there were 9,267, or 0.73 percent of Eversource customers in the dark.
Town facilities are open and available to assist residents that are without power. The Noah Webster Library on South Main Street is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and both the Bishops Corner and Faxon branch libraries are open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and offer charging stations and internet access.
The Elmwood Community Center is open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and showering facilities are available to residents there if needed.
“Town officials will remain in contact with Eversource to advocate for our community needs,” Priest said. “While we hope for restoration of power soon, those with any special needs or individual considerations where the involvement of town officials is needed can contact the West Hartford Emergency Reporting Center (ERC) at 860-523-5203. An ERC dispatcher will direct you to the appropriate official or agency.”
To report an outage, check the status of an existing outage, or view updated outage maps, visit Eversource.com and click on “Outages & Storms.”
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