Madison First Selectman Delivers Power Outage Update

Message from First Selectman Tom Banisch:

I appreciate everyone’s cooperation over the past two days. It’s very stressful on those without power, and so far we’re all weathering it as well as can be expected. Much progress has been made in the past 24 hours. To those of us without power, it may not seem like it, but downed trees are being removed and power is being restored as rapidly as possible.

We still have three difficult situations, Pine Ridge Road, Beaver Pond and River Road. Crews are working to get the trees off the power lines so power can be restored to those areas. Yesterday 30% of Eversource customers were without power. As of now, the number is 16%. All the “Make Safe” work has been done, which means safe for the crews to work on the lines.

They will now move to restoration efforts. I have to warn you that restoring power in certain areas will mean that people who have power may be shut off while work is being done. In part, this is because in order to get trees off the lines they cannot work on lines that are live and, in shutting them off, others may be affected.

I’m told that there are only 8 circuits left that are out and Eversource is predicting that all customers, except a possible 1% who may be at the end of a line, will be restored by Sunday night at 11:00 pm. The shelter is still open at the Town Gym and will be as long as is necessary. As always, depending upon how long power will be out, we will provide whatever other necessities residents may need.

Please call my office at 203-245-5602 to let us know what your situation is. If it’s an emergency, call 9-1-1. I need to remind you of the following:If you are unable to get out of your home because of downed trees, or you need help and it is not an emergency, you can call the Madison Police Dispatch Center at 203-245-2721 or call a neighbor or friend.

If you come upon downed wires, remain at least 10 feet away, assume the wire is live, and call 9-1-1 and Eversource immediately. Maintain the minimum 10-foot distance until Eversource arrives to make the area safe.If you are using a generator, it should always be operated outdoors, as far from the house as possible. Keep it away from doors, windows and air vents to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. We ask that if you are experiencing a power outage and haven’t already done so, please contact Eversource customer service at 1-800-286-2000 to report it.

If they don’t know you’re out, it will take longer to get you restored. You can also use their website at Eversource.com.Please stay safe!