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08/11/2020 10:45 AMDowned trees and power lines impacted North Branford and Northford during Storm Isaias on Aug. 4. With three different utility companies serving the area, the restoration process was underway in the days following the storm— sooner in some cases than others.
Among the longest wait were the four dozen or so Eversource clients in town; while efforts made by United Illuminating, which serves the majority of North Branford, and Wallingford Electric, which services mainly Northford, were a bit more timely.
During an Aug. 7 briefing on the impact of storm clean up and restoration, Town Manager Mike Paulhus said it had been a “tough couple of days,” with the town “not quite out of the woods yet but making progress.” He thanked the town’s emergency (police, fire, and medical) and public works teams for their continued work to assist residents during the storm and in the days that followed.
Paulhus also noted that water was being provided at Town Hall for those without power who needed it to operate home sanitation systems and toilets while wells were inoperable.
North Branford Emergency Management Director James Buck said the initial storm impact “crippled the town,” with damage closing major thoroughfares and widespread power outages affecting not only residents and businesses but most government buildings. The majority of thoroughfares and government buildings were back online by Aug. 7, according to Buck. The town’s two libraries were opened as cooling centers and charging centers for residents in the days following the storm.
Less than one percent of Wallingford Electric subscribers were without power as of Aug. 7, with 100 percent expected to be restored by Aug. 8. Buck noted United Illuminating, which covers the majority of North Branford “has struggled a little bit more with this storm than some of the others,” but he said that, as of Aug. 7, UI had its footing and a restoration plan in place to bring the majority of subscribers back online by end of business on Friday, Aug. 8.
While State Representative Vincent Candelora (R-86) was not on the Aug. 7 Zoom video briefing, his efforts to get information out to residents was noted during the briefing by Deputy Chief of Police James Lovelace.
Candelora provided daily updates to residents via his Facebook page, including one on Aug. 10 that read, in part, “United Illuminating customers in North Branford have seen progress. We are down to 49 customers without power. UI still indicates that all power should be restored by Monday morning [Aug. 10]. Eversource is also making progress in Durham, North Guilford, and North Branford. Power is estimated to be restored by Tuesday [Aug. 11] at noon.”
Lovelace said the Police Department had prepared for the storm and was fully staffed not only in the 911 center but with officers on the road on Aug. 4. The center handled approximately 100 calls during the storm. At one point, 10 officers were out responding to calls during the storm, along with responders from the town’s fire department and public works, making a “very strong team,” said Lovelace.
He said the town’s 911 center was operational during the entire storm event including one point where the system had to be run by generator backup.
By the end of Aug. 7, NBPD expected to have 100 percent of roads reopened in town, said Lovelace.
Fire Chief William Seward III said the response from the town’s emergency services departments and Public Works during the storm emphasized “cooperation and collaboration” and added that he feels residents recognize and appreciate the work of the town’s emergency responders and public works members.
Seward said NBFD’s storm prep began on Monday, Aug. 3 in order to be ready for what he said was a “significant” number of calls requiring responses during the storm on Aug. 4. Calls included reports of power lines down, trees down on buildings and electrical fires.