Connecticut Light & Power Co. and The United Illuminating Co. were better prepared and better organized for Hurricane Sandy than in 2011, when 800,000 lost power after Tropical Storm Irene in August and 880,000 lost power after an October snowstorm.
That’s the viewpoint of the New Haven Register. In an editorial, it said, ” Unlike last year, more trees near power lines had been trimmed; calls for outside help were made before Hurricane Sandy hit on Oct. 29; repair crews were ready to start work as soon as the storm passed; and communication with the towns had improved. This year, CL&P had a much better grasp of damage to its lines and the amount of time it would take to repair them. Last year, its then president was embarrassed by making unrealistic predictions about power restoration that then had to be revised.”
Also pointed out, ” In the first seven days of the power failures, the utilities had restored electricity at the average rate of more than 86,000 customers a day. After Irene, the average rate was close to 89,000; but after the October snowstorm, when it took 12 days to fully restore power, the average rate of restoration was only slightly more than 73,000 customers daily.
The Register also praised the utilities for their quick work. The speed of the recovery this year is impressive given the magnitude of the work. For example, CL&P replaced more than 1,000 poles, more than 100 miles of wire and 2,400 transformers.