CT Activates Emergency Operations Center For Tropical Storm Elsa

CONNECTICUT — Gov. New Lamont took to the state's Emergency Operations Center bunker to warn residents of severe weather, and warn power utilities not to have a repeat of the prolonged power outages the state endured last August after being hit by another storm.

Lamont has ordered a partial activation of the EOC beginning at 6 a.m. on Friday to monitor conditions from Tropical Storm Elsa. The governor said he expected the state would be hit "pretty hard" around 10 a.m., but expects Elsa to be much less severe than Tropical Storm Isaias.

There were over 850,000 Eversource customers, and 123,000 UI customers without power at the peak of Tropical Storm Isaias.

"We better be a lot better prepared than last time," Lamont warned the utilities during the Ops Center news conference.

Lamont said that the utilities are bound by new regulations from the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority that went into effect July 1. Among other rules, the new laws levy stiff fines on the utilities if they do not restore power within 96 hours of a failure.

Another new mandate from PURA will be the involvement of community liaisons between the utilities and municipal governments. Poor communication from the power companies was a common complaint from local civic leaders following Isaias.

This time around, "every one of our mayors and first selectmen will be up-to-date in real time in terms of what they need," Lamont said. "I expect nothing but the best response from our utility companies to make sure Connecticut residents, particularly the most vulnerable, receive adequate service."

Liaisons from Eversource and United Illuminating will now be joining personnel from several state agencies, such as the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (including the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the State Police, and the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control), the Department of Transportation, the Connecticut National Guard, and the Department of Public Health, in the EOC on Friday, according to a news release from Lamont's Office.

Hundreds of crews have been pre-deployed in place, according to the governor, and additional crews are being "lined up" should the storm do more damage than currently anticipated. Lamont said that UI crews have been given special permission to travel the Merritt Parkway which traverses their service area and is normally off-limits to trucks.

Elsa is moving "pretty fast," Lamont said, which he interpreted as there being less of a flood risk in those areas prone to it.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the coast of New Haven and Middlesex counties and for all of New London County. Statewide 2-4 inches of rain is expected, and the strongest wind gusts are expected in southeast Connecticut. Winds could gust up to 60 mph. Some areas of

Connecticut may see more than four inches of rain. A severe thunderstorm watch is also in effect for Connecticut until 9 p.m. A flash flood watch is in effect for southern Connecticut through Friday morning. A flash flood watch is in effect for Hartford, Tolland, Windham and Litchfield counties through Friday afternoon.