As Of Tuesday Morning, More Than 300 Still Without Power In Madison

Connecticut Light & Power reported restoring almost 204,000 customers after a freak October snowstorm, leaving more than 690,000 still without power Tuesday morning, including more than 300 in Madison.

That meant about 3 percent of CL&P customers in Madison have been left without power for more than three days, since the storm hit Saturday. That was an improvement over Monday night, when more than 400 were without power. While being without power for this long with snow on the ground has been a hardship, particularly for those still without power, some were finding the humor in the situation. During a wedding over the weekend in the south end of Madison, the bride was draped in plastic sheeting to protect her from the storm. Another family in North Madison, on a whim, went out and got a Christmas tree so the inside of their house would match the wintry tableau outside. In some parts of North Madison, six inches of snow still cover the grass.

Some towns, including quite a few in the northwestern corner of the state, are still 100 percent without power as of Tuesday morning, including Ashford, , Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Burlington, Canton, Colebrook, Cornwall, Durham, East Granby, Goshen, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Roxbury, Seymour, , Stafford, Union, Vernon, and Windsor Locks, according to the CL&P outage map. Local police departments are reporting increasing numbers of cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, including one case in Durham, where a generator was running inside a house that did not have a CO detector.

"We expect the pace of restoration to quicken as damage assessments are completed, blocked roads are cleared and additional crews arrive to help with the effort," said Jeff Butler, CL&P’s president and chief operating officer, in a prepared statement.

Will take a week or more in some places

"Our projection for complete restoration remains the same: we expect it to take a week or more in some areas.  We will continue bringing in more crews to improve on that projection.  And we will provide more detailed restoration estimates as soon as we have sufficient information to offer specific projections – most likely tomorrow morning for many of the towns in the southwest and eastern sections of the state."

"Many areas of the state, particularly in the northwest and north central parts of Connecticut, generally north and west of Interstate 84, still have roads blocked and areas inaccessible to crews, slowing assessment processes and restoration efforts," CL&P said.

A significant difference from Tropical Storm Irene is that CL&P transmission lines were damaged, CL&P said. "Transmission lines take power from the generating plants where it is made and deliver it to the local distribution grid. Workers are dedicated to address these critical transmission outages and have already restored thirteen (13) of the damaged lines, CL&P said. Even when the transmission lines are fixed, there may still be a great deal of work to the distribution system to be completed before customers have power," company officials said.

Making the best of it, going with the flow

Parts of North Madison received more than eight inches of snow during the storm. Some residents just decided to make the best of it.

Lynda Montesi tells us that "We wanted to get into the spirit ... with the beautiful yet early snow...so I sent my husband to Walmart to get a tree and we put it up during the storm...My daughter Carina loved it!!!!!" She even wrapped a few boxes and put them underneath the tree. They were empty but, still, provided a nice touch.

Sally Geisler and her family on Monday were recovering from throwing a wedding during Winter Storm Alfred. Geisler said the bride at one point was wrapped in plastic sheeting to protect her from the storm. Nonetheless, the wedding went well and the family was cheered by the old tradition that says the more rain on your wedding day, the happier the marriage.

What are your stories from the storm? Did you make out OK? Are you still without power? Tell us in the comments section below.

Mild weather expected to continue for the next few days

The weather Monday night was more typical of fall and rather pleasant, with temperatures dipping only to the mid-40s, and some areas of town were overrun with trick-or-treaters on Halloween night including some from out of town. The day was nice enough Monday that second and third graders from Our Lady of Mercy on Neck Road to visit with residents there and go trick or treating. Fortunately, the pleasant weather is forecast to continue, according to the National Weather Service.

Tuesday is supposed to be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 52. North wind between 8 and 11 mph. Tuesday night should be mostly clear, with a low around 32. North wind between 5 and 7 mph. Wednesday through Friday is expected to be sunny and clear, with a high in the 50s during the day and lows in the high 30s or mid-40s.

Still, many are still recovering from the effects of Winter Storm Alfred. "The rare early-season winter storm that affected the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast over the weekend broke record snowfall totals for October," the National Weather Service said. "Communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit, with snowfall totals of 32 inches reported in Peru, Mass., and 30.8 inches reported in Plainfield. Jaffrey, N.H., reported 31.4 inches. Dozens of locations from Virginia to Maine set daily snowfall records on October 29 and 30."

"New York’s Central Park recorded 2.9 inches of snowfall during the storm. This is the first time since records began in 1869 that an inch or more of snowfall has been recorded during the month of October."

Information from FEMA about the disaster declaration:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Connecticut and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from a severe storm during the period of October 29-30, 2011.

The President's action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all counties in the State of Connecticut.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. 

Stephen M. De Blasio Sr. has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, andwww.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

Important Safety Reminders from CL&P: 

If you come across a downed line, consider it to be live and dangerous. Call 9-1-1 immediately and report it. Also, always stay at least 10 feet away from the downed wire.

In addition, the storm has led to an increasing number of customers using generators to power their homes and businesses. CL&P reminds customers that if a generator is installed incorrectly to a home's wiring, it can cause power to "backfeed," or flow back into the power lines, creating a dangerous situation for the public and for our line crews who may be working nearby. To avoid this situation, have a qualified electrician connect the generator with a transfer switch, so that it is not connected directly to your home’s wiring.  

To avoid the accumulation of deadly carbon monoxide, only use a generator outdoors.  Never use a generator indoors, in an attached garage, a basement, or a crawl space. Avoid using a generator in a partially enclosed inhabited space, even if it is ventilated; opening doors and windows or using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide build-up.  If placing it outdoors, make sure the generator is far from a home's doors, windows and vents.

To report or check on an outage – Visit cl-p.com or call 800-286-2000. Our automated phone and online systems can rapidly process your report and help us speed restoration efforts. For helpful tips and news updates, go to our website at cl-p.com, follow us on Twitter @CTLightandPower and “like” us at Facebook.com/CTLightandPower. You can also get updates on outages in your town by texting “outage” and your zip code to 24612 (texting fees may apply).