Storm Updates from First Selectman Tom Frenaye

Suffield Storm Update – Nov. 6 at 11 a.m.

As of 7 a.m. this morning, 32 percent of Suffield Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) customers were still without power (2,000 customers). CL&P says that 15 trucks were scheduled for work in town today.

At 10 a.m. CL&P provided an updated estimate for power restoration in Suffield.

They are now saying that by 4pm today, 85 percent of the town will have power (1,000 customers without power). By midnight they expect to have 97 percent of the town connected to power (190 customers without power). The last 190 customers may take until Wednesday at midnight to finish.

For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergency requests, you can call the Emergency Operations Center at 860-668-3886 or the Selectman’s office at 860-668-3838 during business hours.

Tom Frenaye

First Selectman

Suffield Storm Update – Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.

The Emergency Shelter at Suffield High School remains open, though phasing down as more streets receive power. If you plan to stay for the night, please bring sleeping bags and pillows. Hot showers are also available – you can drop in any time.  

CL&P has not made significant progress in restoring power in the last 24 hours.  More than 3,500 customers have power (60 percent), with 2,400 yet to be reconnected (40 percet). Only 300 customers had power restored today.   

This morning we were told that 10 line crews and 5 tree clearing crews would be working in town today. It does not appear that all of them actually arrived, though there were reports of work on Mountain Road, Warnertown, South Stone, North Grand, Thompsonville, First through Fourth Streets and Halladay Avenue West.

CL&P continues to be very slow in responding to some of our priority areas where emergency vehicles cannot get through. The priority areas include Ratley Road, Spruce Street, Randall Drive, Halladay Avenue, and the roads around the Congamond Lakes.

CL&P is still saying that 99 percent of their Suffield customers will be restored by Sunday midnight. It does not seem possible they will meet that goal unless at least 25 crews and trucks are sent to Suffield on Sunday.

After providing input on the lack of progress in Suffield to the Governor and his task force in today’s conference call, we did receive some support from the National Guard and the Department of Transportation. The request for additional CL&P help has yet to materialize.

The National Guard is working to provide some wood chippers and other equipment for debris clearing efforts. The Department of Transportation will do debris clearing on state roads. DOT has been working all week on debris clearing on Route 159 (East Street) and will soon be switching to Route 190 (Thompsonville Road, Mapleton Avenue), then Route 75 (North Street, Main Street, South Street), then Route 168 (Mountain Road), then Sheldon Street and Babbs Road. This will likely take several weeks. 

It will probably take more than a week for debris clearing on town roads to begin, as bidding and contract approvals take place, and approvals for the expected costs are obtained. FEMA should reimburse the town for at 75 percet of the debris clearing costs, but that may take six months or more for the town to receive. In the mean time, the town has to approve the expense, and that may be through approvals by the Board of Selectmen and Finance, and then a Town Meeting. The town does have a reserve fund available for a significant expense like this storm debris cleanup that may run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

MRE’s (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) and bottled water will be available free of charge on Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Fire Station at Ebbs Corner in West Suffield, the main Fire Station at 73 Mountain Road, the Police station at 911 Mountain Road, the ambulance building at 215 Bridge Street and the High School Shelter on Sheldon Street.

The landfill is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through next Tuesday. Fees for the disposal of trees and brush are being waived for the month of November. This does not include construction or other debris. We’re still working on a plan for curbside debris removal. Please cut any brush or trees into lengths of no more than six feet, and place them several feet back from the road or curb.

If the electrical service wire is pulled from your home, please call a license electrician to inspect and repair the service from the point of attachment. Once repaired, please call CL&P at 800-286-2000 to report the repair and that you are ready for service restoration.

Please stay away from downed utility wires. The lines may be live due to power restoration efforts. We also ask that you please check your appliances and make sure that they are off before power is restored.

There have been reports of individuals posing as CL&P employees offering to restore your electrical service for a fee. This is a scam. Please report these instances to police immediately so they can take action.

Suffield Public Schools will be closed Monday, Nov. 7.

Elections are still scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 at Suffield Middle School from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Daylight savings time starts tonight at 2 a.m. Set your clocks back one hour.

Check on your neighbors to make sure they have food and can get out if needed.

For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergency requests, you can call the Emergency Operations Center at 860-668-3886 or the Selectman’s office at 860-668-3838 during business hours.

Tom Frenaye

First Selectman