Hurricane Isaias Update From Town Of Wilton

Press release from the Town of Wilton:

August 5, 2020

The damage from yesterday’s storm was significant. It was on the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy in terms of damage to transformers, downed wires and power outages. A number of roads remain closed. We have provided Eversource a list of priority roads with downed wires. The list includes Ridgefield Road and all landlocked roads.

Eversource is currently in assessment mode, with life-threatening situations being prioritized. Eversource is not able to provide detailed estimates for power restoration. They are only providing that it will be multiple days. Power restoration for Sandy took up to a week or longer for some, so please plan according.

It is hard to be patient, particularly in the middle of a pandemic. Please know that town personnel are doing all that we can to expedite clearing and power restoration. We are very much dependent on Eversource, as is every other Connecticut municipality.

Today’s midday status is as follows:

Tree Removal/Road Clearing:

• DPW and Parks and Grounds personnel have cleared several roads and areas with downed trees and debris. Work is ongoing. Wilton Police released a road status report as of 1:30 p.m. Please see below. Please use SeeClickFix to report additional issues. There is no need to report a duplicate issue.
• Eversource is responsible for removal of wires and trees with wires, as removal requires coordination within their network to ensure safe removal. When work begins, please be aware that on occasion, power in another area must be temporarily shutdown to allow for the removal of downed wires located elsewhere.
• If you are able, please stay off the roads.

Power Restoration:

As of 1:30 p.m., there were over 617,000 Eversource customers without power. 72.54% or 5,454 Wilton customers without power.

According to our representative, today and possibly tomorrow, most of Eversource’s efforts will be focused on assessing the damage statewide with the use of helicopters and trucks. One crew is reported to be in Wilton.

As a reminder, power restoration begins after Eversource has cleared prioritized roads of downed wires. Restoration is prioritized based hospital and other emergency buildings and on the number of customers associated with an outage. The outage map on the Eversource website indicates the number of outages associated with your road or home. There are several large outage groups impacting Wilton residents, including but not limited to:

• A severely damaged transformer in Weston/Westport impacting over 1800 customers
• 308 customers in the area of Wilton Center
• 496 customers in the area of Thayer Pond Road
• 518 customers in the area of Nod Hill

As with the damaged transformer in Weston/Westport, damage outside of Wilton can impact Wilton service.

Other Information:

• Water is available at the Fire Station. Please bring a container and call ahead or knock on the back door on the Town Hall side of the building
• The Transfer Station is closed due to a lack of power.
• If you are without internet service, you may be able to use your cell service to provide an internet connection. The following are informational links: https://www.verizon.com/support/mobile-hotspot-faqs/,https://www.att.com/support/article/wireless/KM1108844/, https://support.sprint.com/support/tutorial/Set-up-Wi-Fi-hotspot-Express-from-Sprint-/WScenario_542_26571_771_en_272-dvc6150010prd,https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-mobile-hotspots

Another update will be provided this evening. If you wish to contact me please email at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org. Thank you for your patience.

Lynne Vanderslice

First Selectwoman

This press release was produced by the Town of Wilton.The views expressed here are the author’s own.