With Hurricane Sandy expected to hit Connecticut in some way early next week, Connecticut Light & Power is starting to prepare for the storm — and the utility says you can prepare, too.
"Customers can prepare by assembling a storm kit and making arrangements to look out for their families, friends and neighbors," the utility said in a news release.
The utility is revving up its emergency response plan, opening its Emergency Response Center and making preparations for restoring power if the storm damages lines, poles or other equipment.
"We’re closely monitoring weather forecasts and preparing for high winds and heavy rain that can devastate the electric system and cause power outages,” said Bill Quinlan, CL&P senior vice president ofemergency preparedness. "The past year has been all about improving storm response, and we stand ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible. While we hope for the best, we all need to prepare for the worst.”
The utiity was strongly criticized after hurricanes last year, including the freak Halloween 2011 snow storm that left power lines down and electricity out for an extended period in Darien and elsewhere.
"CL&P will continue to be in close contact with town, state, and emergency management officials over the next few days to make sure all of our efforts are coordinated for a community-wide response," the utility announced in a news release.
What you can do
The utility suggests that customers with critical medical needs that depend on electricity be prepared to switch to a backup source of energy or be prepared to move to a more electricity-secure spot if necessary.
Here's a quick preparedness list suggested by the utility. The list runs through what's on the CL&P "Shopping for a Storm Kit" video attached to this article:
- Flashlights with spare batteries
- A battery-operated radio or TV
- First-aid kit and medications
- Canned, freeze-dried or dehydrated foods
- A manual can opener
- Bottled water
- Baby or pet supplies (if needed)
- Important phone numbers
