Middletown Residents Can Expect Power By Tuesday At Noon

MIDDLETOWN, CT – Middletown residents who are still without power due to last week's tropical storm can expect their power to return by Tuesday at noon.

In an update posted to Twitter, Eversource said more than 90 percent of their Connecticut customers who were affected by the storm now have power. An estimated 121,000 customers are still without power.

Monday morning, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said Middletown had 498 customers without power, including himself, on Facebook.

"Bad news: as of this morning, Middletown is at 0 customers (including me) with answers from Eversource CEO Jim Judge about rebates, expanded claims coverage, or any kind of accountability or explanation for his handling of this storm," Florsheim wrote.

A video posted to the company's Twitter page Monday morning showed crews at a materials satellite location in Berlin compiling pole, cross arms and cables needed to restore power in the area. According to officials, there are six satellite materials locations across the state, in addition to 15 store rooms, designed to help crews restore power more efficiently.

"We'll be here from early morning to late at night and the rest of the crews work out of the work centers all night long and we're not going to leave here until we're done," said Hugh C., Eversource Manager, in the video.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Monday through Tuesday evening due to high temperatures and humidity that could cause heat-related illnesses. The NWS advised residents to drink plenty of fluids and stay in air-conditioned rooms, which will prove difficult for those residents who are still without power.

Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has opened an investigation into Eversource and United Illuminating's preparation and response to the storm. UI said it began preparing for the storm last week and reached out to its mutual assistance group for out-of-state resources and contractors.

State officials have been more critical of Eversource's preparation and response. Eversource underestimated the storm's impact and didn't have enough line crews, according to records filed with PURA.