Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

weather-snow-power-outages

Full Text:

w/photos : Winter Storm Brings Power Outages And Accidents

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Storm Bernice spread a heavy blanket of snow across parts of New England,

snapping trees and bringing down power lines last weekend. About 1,737 homes

and businesses in Newtown lost power, some for more than 24 hours.

From 3:44 pm Saturday, when a transformer exploded on Cedar Hill Road, until

1:30 pm Sunday, firefighters from Newtown's five companies were busy

responding to calls of felled trees and sparking electrical wires in widely

scattered incidents around town.

Wires were down, and power out, in the areas of Brushy Hill Road, Riverside

Road and Bungalow Terrace, Glen Road, Old Gate Lane, Peck's Lane, Prospect

Drive, Turkey Roost Road, Flat Swamp Road, Buttonball Drive, Poverty Hollow

Road, Beaver Dam Road, Hanover Road, Beckett Village, and Meadowbrook. There

were widespead outages in the Huntingtown area and across town around Bridge

End Farm Lane.

Margo Jackson Douglas, a spokesperson for Connecticut Light & Power, said all

power was restored in Newtown by 6:30 am on Monday.

Approximately 240,000 Northeast Utilities customers lost power, more than half

of them in Connecticut. More than 450 line crews were called from four other

states and Canada to help local crews working in Connecticut. Some customers

didn't get power back until Wednesday.

Storm Bernice caused the fourth largest power outage ever recorded by NU. Only

Hurricane Gloria in 1985 with 534,485 customers out, Hurricane Bob in 1991

with 300,000, and a 1973 ice storm with 278,742 caused more people to lose

power.

An accident near the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance garage closed Mt Pleasant

Road about 7:15 pm Saturday at the height of the storm. A car driven by a

Bridgeport resident slid sideways down the hill on the snow-covered pavement,

crossed the centerline and struck an oncoming pickup truck driven by a Danbury

resident. Both drivers were transported by ambulance to Danbury Hospital for

medical treatment.

It was a busy night at the 911 emergency center in the basement of Edmond Town

Hall, according to Jim Crouch, chief dispatcher, who rushed to the center to

help dispatcher Michael Reyen when the accident occurred.

"It was hectic," he said.

Cold, wet and possibly snowy weather is expected to continue.

"I hate to say it but we're off to a roaring start for the winter," said Margo

Jackson Douglas.