Trick Or Treating in Ledyard Postponed, Mayor 'Frustrated'

LEDYARD, CT - It's official: trick-or-treating has been postponed in Ledyard following a heavy rain and wind storm that wreaked havoc in Connecticut on Sunday night. The announcement was made Monday on Facebook by Mayor Fred Allyn, who cited Eversource's "lack of response" as a major factor in the decision.

In addition to canceling school Tuesday, Allyn said families will not be permitted to take their children trick-or-treating Halloween night due to the large number of downed power lines around town.

The annual activity has been postponed to Friday, November 3, in order to ensure the safety of residents.

See also: CT Power Outages: 49,000 Plus Still Without Power On Halloween

• CT Power Outages: 143,000 Residents Without Electricity

Ledyard took a big hit from the storm, with Allyn comparing the damage to that left by Hurricane Irene or Superstorm Sandy.

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"Our Eversource representative arrived in town around 11 a.m. [Tuesday]," Allyn said on Facebook. "The damage noted was far more than expected. The damage in Ledyard equals Hurricane Irene or Superstorm Sandy."

As of Tuesday afternoon at 3:50 p.m., approximately 3,559 Ledyard residents (53 percent) are still without power, according to Eversource.

Allyn said Ledyard would have three or four dedicated crews working in town Tuesday, and overnight crews would start later in the day as well.

"Eversource told me there are two areas that, when restored, will get almost 2,000 customers back online," Allyn said. "I asked what to expect for restoration and I was told the afternoon of Thursday [November 2], most would be restored."

The mayor urged citizens to be kind to the line and tree crews from Eversource, who will be working to help the town as efficiently as possible. He also reminded residents to postpone their Halloween plans for tonight to Friday.

"Do not trick or treat tonight," Allyn said. "The progress is slow today and I am not at all comfortable that it will be safe tonight."

Allyn said Monday the town had seen "little to no action" from Eversource after being damaged by heavy rainfalls on Sunday.

"I'm extremely frustrated with the lack of response from Eversource," Allyn said. "Our town crews have done all they can at sites without wires in play and many have worked since last night doing what they can without Eversource on site."

Allyn said Eversource had not completed damage assessment as of 4 p.m. on Monday, and the liaison had not yet arrived to do so.

At 4:20 p.m. on Monday, Allyn updated his post to inform residents he had taken a call from Eversource following a "sharply worded email," and was informed that "three or four crews" were being deployed to Ledyard.

Eversource officials said the crews would be seen in town between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Allyn said charging and bathroom facilities would be available at Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Ledyard Middle School was also open for showers and charging stations Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Check the Ledyard Police Department Facebook page for information and updates on road closures.

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