CL&P's Lack of Communication Leaves Town in the Dark

Add Granby Town Manager William Smith to the growing number of Farmington Valley officials voicing their displeasure over CL&P’s response to the massive power outages in the area as a result of the late-October snow storm.

Indeed, if there is a silver lining for residents who want to know more about CL&P’s presence in Granby - such as how many crews there are in town and where they are working - it’s that town officials don’t have any more information than they do.

“Our biggest problem with the assistance and recovery has been improper communication with CL&P,” Smith said Friday morning. “Not knowing where the line crews are, when they’re going to be here, if they’re going to be here.”

As of 10:20 a.m. Friday morning, 3,282 out of 4,691 CL&P customers, or 69 percent, are still without power, according to the utility’s website.

Smith said, after seven days without power, that number was not acceptable.

“I don’t think that’s adequate progress,” said Smith, noting that more residents could be reconnected if CL&P crews contacted the town to help with removing debris and clearing roads. “It might be down to 40 percent if we coordinated and communicated. I mean, [69 percent is] better than 79 percent, but if we properly communicated and coordinated within an area - and it’s a relatively easy thing to do - we could be down to 30 percent or 40 percent.”

Communicating with the town was more than just a matter of getting power back to residents, according to Smith, who added that some roads still needed to be made passable for emergency vehicles, particularly fire trucks and ambulances.

“I’m not trying to run CL&P or tell them how to work on their deployment, but we don’t know what’s happening,” said Smith, noting that the utility hasn’t provided answers to simple questions, like how many crews would be in town Friday working on restoring power.

“Last night [Thursday] at 5 p.m., I asked how many crews would be [in Granby], and they did not have that information,” Smith said.

Despite the lack of communication and progress in getting Granby back on line, CL&P spokeswoman Janine Saunders said in a telephone interview that the goal was still to restore electricity to 99 percent of the utility’s customers by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

“We’re continuing to add crews,” Saunders said.

Smith, for his part, scoffed at the notion that 99 percent of Granby residents would have their power restored by Sunday.

“That seems very unlikely in my mind,” Smith said. “We have [4,691] connections in Granby. [By 11:59 p.m. Sunday], 46 houses aren’t going to have power?”

CL&P has appeared to painted itself in a corner, according to Smith.

“I’ve asked them to revise [the estimate], but they haven’t,” Smith said. “Citizens expect it now.”

As for clearing debris, while the National Guard may be helping out in Avon and Simsbury, don’t expect to see units in Granby, Smith said.

“I’m still waiting for the National Guard to deliver meals we requested four days ago,” Smith said.

The department of public works is currently working on clearing debris and making roads passable, Smith said.

Smith said that now that power is being restored, he is trying to scale back the emergency shelter, as staffing has become an issue.

“We rely heavily on volunteers,” Smith said. “They’re getting worn down. It’s been seven days now.”