Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power In MA, RI and CT; When Will Your Home’s Power Be Restored?

Posted by erik devaney

Power companies rank outages as “high” if they interrupt services for 15% or more of their customers, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

With service interruptions estimated to be around — or above — the 25%-mark for National Grid, NSTAR and Connecticut Light & Power, perhaps a new ranking is in order: “wicked high.”

These maps from National Grid and Connecticut Light & Power can help you grasp how extensive the power outages in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut truly are…

 

 

One of the areas that is most severely impacted by the power outages is the Greater Danbury area of western Connecticut. At one point on Tuesday, 3,870 out of 3,914 homes in the town of Redding, CT were without power, representing 98% of Connecticut Light and Power customers. Latest reports indicate that 89% of Redding homes are still without power.

A neighboring town, Ridgefield, CT, is also largely in the dark. As of Wednesday morning, 7,586 homes and businesses in Ridgefield are still without power, representing 71% of Connecticut Light and Power customers. Residents of Redding and Ridgefield expressed their fears and frustrations through social media.

So when will power be restored to New England residents still suffering from Irene’s wrath? The most truthful answer is that we cannot know for sure. However, we do know that power companies prioritize their repair work according to certain factors.

If your home is near a hospital, a police station or a fire station, you can expect repair work to be completed soon (if it hasn’t been already). In addition, if your home is near a downed power line that poses a threat to public safety or is near a main transmission line that provides power to high numbers of customers, you can expect relatively speedy repair work.

To get a better approximation of when power will be restored to your home, stay in touch with your power company. I recently received a phone update from my power company informing me to look at a new document on the company’s website. The document provided “estimated times of repair” based on town/city. Unfortunately, it looks likes my apartment could be powerless until Sunday.

Here’s where you can find the most recent restoration updates from your power company:

National Grid MA (.pdf)

National Grid RI (.pdf)

NSTAR (.pdf)

Unitil

Connecticut Light & Power

The United Illuminating Company

 

 

Related posts:

1. About 70,000 Without Power in Conn. Ahead of Irene
2. About 145,000 Mass. Customers Still Without Power
3. Power Outages Rise as Irene Approaches Bay State
4. Evacuations Urged in Vermont; Power Outages Spread
5. Coping With A Hurricane Irene Power Outage: Tips For Living Without Electricity

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