Hundreds of Eversource crews hustled through the weekend, trying to get the lights back on across Connecticut. A powerful storm had slammed the state with heavy rain and fierce winds, leaving thousands without power from the shoreline up to the Quiet Corner.
This article digs into where the worst damage hit, how the restoration effort is going, and what folks from Hartford to New Haven should know as high winds keep making repairs tricky.
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Widespread Power Outages After Wind and Rain Slam Connecticut
The storm rolled in late in the week and knocked over trees, snapped branches, and ripped down utility lines. It hit coastal towns like Guilford and New London, but also inland spots like East Haddam and Killingly.
So much rain had already softened the ground, so when the wind picked up, trees toppled more easily and the infrastructure took a beating.
By Saturday night, Eversource said it had restored service to more than 85,000 customers statewide. Still, plenty of neighborhoods and rural roads stayed in the dark as crews pushed on.
Hardest-Hit Communities Still in the Dark
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, about 4,200 outages lingered across Connecticut. The highest numbers of people still without power were in:
Residents in these towns saw scattered downed trees, blocked driveways, and neighborhoods left without service for hours or longer.
Similar scenes cropped up in parts of Manchester, Waterbury, and some outer Hartford neighborhoods. Crews moved street by street, tackling what they could.
From Major Repairs to Labor-Intensive Work
When a storm like this hits, utilities usually follow a pattern: stabilize the grid, fix the biggest problems, then get into the smaller, more local stuff. That’s pretty much what’s happened for towns from New Haven to Norwich.
Eversource said they tackled the largest and most critical repairs first. They focused on getting the most people back online fast, especially places like hospitals, police and fire stations, and busy roads.
Crews Shift Focus to Smaller Outages
Now that the big fixes are mostly done, crews are shifting to the “last mile”—the smaller, stubborn outages that take more time and sweat. These include things like:
This phase moves slower, and it’s more detailed work. People in Killingly and Guilford keep asking why their lights are still out when neighbors have power again—understandable, honestly.
The answer? It comes down to how complicated and out-of-the-way some of these last repairs are.
Blocked Roads and Ongoing Wind Threats
The storm didn’t just kill the power. Eversource crews, along with local DPW and emergency teams from places like Stamford, Bridgeport, and smaller towns in eastern Connecticut, also had to clear roads jammed with fallen trees and limbs.
Company officials said they cleared about 190 blocked roads after the storm. Clearing those roads was crucial—not just for restoring power, but for letting ambulances, fire trucks, and school buses get through once things return to normal.
High Winds Continue to Complicate Restoration
Even as crews made progress Saturday, the winds picked up again overnight. More branches came down, and in some spots, whole trees toppled over.
Eversource warned that new outages could pop up, even in places where power had just come back, especially in tree-lined neighborhoods of towns like Guilford and Manchester.
High winds were expected to stick around through Sunday. That can force crews to stop working on lines up high, for safety. It’s one big reason why restoration timelines can get pushed back during a long wind event.
When Will Power Be Fully Restored?
Eversource said that most customers across Connecticut—from the Hartford area to shoreline towns near New Haven—should have power back by Sunday evening. Some folks will see the lights come back sooner, depending on the damage in their area.
Individual streets with heavy tree damage or tricky electrical issues might have to wait longer, especially on rural roads in towns like Brooklyn, East Haddam, and Killingly. Getting to those spots just takes more time and effort.
Safety First: What Residents Should Do
As restoration keeps rolling, Eversource is urging everyone to put safety first. Their reminders are simple but important:
Folks in places like Guilford, New London, Hartford, and Waterbury should check on neighbors, especially seniors or anyone with medical needs. It’s one of those times when looking out for each other really matters.
Here is the source article for this story: Eversource crews restore power amid ongoing high winds in Connecticut
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