Update 7:33 p.m., Sunday: Only 14 Darien customers were without electric power as of 7:17 p.m., according to Eversource.
Update 8:11 a.m., Sunday: A total of 416 Darien electricity customers still don’t have their power back, about 5 percent of the total number of Eversource customers in town, according to the utility.
Update, 10:54 p.m. — Eversource now says 561 Darien customers are without power, or 7 percent of the town’s customers.
Original story:
Friday’s winds and rain not only blew down trees across roads and knocked out power for many Darien residents — 788 electricity customers were still without power as of 2:17 p.m. on Saturday, according to Eversource.
That’s about the same number without power that Darien police were reporting as of 9:30 a.m. (790 customers). Police are asking residents not to use certain streets in town that were still blocked as of this morning.
“The Town of Darien has sustained significant storm damage over the past 24 hours,” police said in the morning announcement. “There are several locations in which downed trees have severed power lines and caused property damage.”
Police say efforts to restore power are continuing, with police and the town Department of Public Works working closely with Eversource, the electric utility.
In an announcement this morning, police are asking the public not to call the department about outages — call Eversource instead:
- Currently our communications center is inundated with both emergency and routine calls. Please do not call the police department to inquire about outages. To report outages or inquire about restoration times, Eversource can be contacted at 1-800-286-2000 or 1-860-947-2000. Residents can also report an outage on the Eversource website.
The police announcement also said:
“Several secondary roadways are completely impassable and non-essential travel is not recommended. All downed power lines are to be considered energized. Pedestrians should keep clear of downed trees as hidden powerlines may be involved or attached.
“If a location is taped off or barricaded, there is a danger ahead. Stay clear of the area. Below is a confirmed list of road closures or blockages that may or may not involve downed powerlines. Please avoid these areas:
- Fairfield Avenue
- Old Farm Road
- Long Neck Point Road
- Pear Tree Point Road
- Raymond Street
- Brushy Hill Road
- Edmond Street
- Driftway Lane
- Raiders Lane
- Old Oak Lane
- Hancock Lane
- Parsons Walk
Of the 8,095 Eversource customers in Darien, 788 were out of power at 2:17 p.m., and Eversource is also trying to restore power to many in surrounding towns:
Greenwich — 5,603 customers (20 percent of the total number of customers in that town, the highest percentage of Eversource customers in the state)
Stamford — 2,042 customers (3 percent of the total)
Norwalk — 803 (3 percent)
New Canaan — 1,173 (14 percent)
STATEWIDE — 33,360 (3 percent)
Darien Library is open until 5 p.m. Saturday and you can charge your phone there and get wifi service, not to mention a cup of coffee and a little food.