A damaged electrical substation on Cold Springs Road in Beacon Falls was repaired today (Tuesday, Nov. 1), but large areas of Beacon Falls, Oxford and Seymour remained without power as of 2:30 p.m.
There is still no word from Connecticut Light & Power as to when power will be restored to Beacon Falls, Oxford and Seymour.
CL&P has said that damage to its high voltage lines has made this recovery much more difficult than Irene.
The effort to clear downed trees and lines off local streets continues.
Here is what we know about efforts to repair major local electrical transmission lines that supply power to Beacon Falls, Oxford and Seymour:
1. CL&P Tuesday repaired the electrical substation on Cold Springs Road in Beacon Falls. A spokesperson for the utility could not explain what was fixed or the extent of the damage, other than that it was “storm related.”
2. CL&P Monday and Tuesday fixed high voltage distribution lines that had fallen onto Metro North train tracks during the storm. These lines feed power FROM the Beacon Falls substation to Oxford and Seymour. The lines failed Saturday when a tree fell and knocked down two utility poles on Lopus Road in Beacon Falls.
3. CL&P used a helicopter either Monday or Tuesday to search for damaged transmission lines deep in the hilly terrain of the Naugatuck State Forest. Those lines bring power TO the Beacon Falls substation.
First Selectman Paul Roy was told by the town’s CL&P liaison Tuesday morning that CL&P has to use ATVs and helicopters to “figure out where the damage is” to the wires in the forest.
“They don’t know where and how much damage there is,” Roy said, referring to the lines inside Naugatuck State Forest.
A CL&P spokesperson did not know when the company would have restoration estimates for Beacon Falls, Oxford or Seymour. The utility company’s website indicates restoration estimates could be available Wednesday.
Specific information about the local power situation is apparently happening between town leaders and individual CL&P reps.
“I don’t really have specific information,” CL&P spokesperson Pam Medlock said. “I have general information.”
As of 3:24 p.m., CL&P had reported that 100 percent of customers in Beacon Falls and Seymour were still without power. The company listed Oxford at 92 percent without power — a roughly 30 percent jump from numbers earlier Tuesday.
Scott Pelletier, Oxford’s emergency management director, said CL&P had to turn off power to some customers so that they could do work in the area of Captain Wooster Road.
SHELTER INFO:
Oxford
Quaker Farms School
30 Great Oak Road
(no pets)
Open 24 hours
Seymour
Seymour Middle School
211 Mountain Road
(pets must be remain in your vehicle)
Open 24 hours
Beacon Falls
Woodland Regional High School
135 Back Rimmon Road
(open for showers, overnight sleeping)
Open 24 hours
Beacon Falls Senior Citizen Center
North Main Street (next to the fire house)
(open for hot prepared meals, electricity, warmth)
Open 24 hours
203 729 5323 = Beacon Falls contact number
***NOTE — We provided phone numbers where available.
