Five or Six Crews in Town Today; Cost in Hundreds of Thousands

As of Friday, Farmington has five or six CL&P crews in town, Town Council Chairman Mike Clark said. And the utility company is meeting in Simsbury with other Farmington and other officials to create a plan for the restoration in the valley.

The area was one of the hardest hit during the storm and has seen little movement in power restoration after six days. Since last night, Farmington saw the percent powerless drop from 96 percent to 89 percent. Route 4 from Unionville center to the town’s emergency shelter at Farmington High School, part of the highlands and part of Route 6 were included in the restoration. Some East Farms neighborhoods and Westfarms mall didn’t lose power.

Clark said despite CL&P’s rampant lying, he’s hopeful power will continue to be restored today and tomorrow. But he’s not trusting the company’s promises.

“I’ve lost total faith in anything they’re giving us,” he said.

After Thursday’s 4 p.m. press conference, CL&P representatives told him power would be restored within an hour to the high school – the town’s top priority. When he visited, he found no power.

“But they did get up eventually and we’re very grateful for that.”

The emergency shelter has been a haven for residents, particularly the elderly and disabled. Two days before the power was restored, the generator went down for 15 minutes, leaving several hundred people in the dark.

“Our most important mission was to get that emergency shelter up and operational for the elderly and those with special needs and I don’t think anyone can argue that we’ve done an exceptional job,” Clark said. “We’ve provided shelter, food and water to people at no cost.”

The cost, he said will probably “hundreds of thousands of dollars. Part of that will be reimbursed by FEMA but we’re not sure what that amount is.”

The good news, he said, is that the council has maintained 8 percent in the emergency fund – more than $7 million.

The second priority was to get major roadways open, a goal that has been hampered by the lack of CL&P crews.

“Town staff is ready, willing and able to do anything that needs to be done, however, wherever there are wires they can’t go near. We’re not going to lose a worker. Even though the lines are dead, people are using generators and those can kick back."

Today, the National Guard is helping with the effort by hauling large branches and trees out of roadways and from the sides of roads. Clark said the town is very grateful.

For next week, Farmington schools will attempt to open Monday, depending on the power situation. A call will be placed to parents Sunday afternoon.

The election is scheduled to go on Tuesday as normal with possible adjustments to polling places.