EAST HAVEN BEGINS RECOVERY FROM TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS EAST HAVEN

PRESS RELEASE
EAST HAVEN BEGINS RECOVERY FROM TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS EAST HAVEN
August 5, 2020
Mayor Joseph Carfora, along with his Emergency Management leaders Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli and Police Chief Ed Lennon, stated the Town was at work on the recovery effort even as the storm moved through the area. Even at the height of the storm, public works crews were working and responding as necessary, the Fire Department responded to 82 calls for service mostly related to downed wires and / or trees, and the East Haven Police responded to 92 calls for service during the same time period. Utility contractors were pre-staged in the Town Beach parking lot, and almost immediately went to work to begin “make-safe” efforts.
Mayor Carfora said, “East Haven Public Works Department led by Charlie Coyle and his crew are to be commended for this work so far, working through the night clearing roads and speeding the process for our Town to get back to normal despite widespread damage throughout town which included structural damage, hundreds of downed trees and widespread power outages. Our crews are working side by side with the UI crews. I certainly recognize the difficulties of living without power, but I can assure you that the UI is working as diligently as possible in all restoration efforts.” Chief Marcarelli said that a Municipal Liaison from United Illuminating was in contact throughout the night with him. “The recovery effort is strategic and methodical; the primary mission going forward will be safety. Town crews will be paired with a United Illuminating tree and line crew addressing downed trees with an electrical hazard. Once these lines are de-energized, tree crews will move in to remove the tree and clear the street. There are currently 19 impassable roads throughout Town. Residents should be prepared to be without power for a few days, as restoration will not start until the safety work is completed.” Marcarelli stressed the importance of properly using a portable generator so that it does not “back feed” into an electrical panel. “Back feeding” electricity is dangerous and could pose a serious risk to lineman working to restore power. Additionally, if using a generator, please make sure it is at least 20 feet from a residence or building to avoid carbon monoxide build-up in the home.
Calls for no power should be reported to the United Illuminating outage line at 800-722-5584.
Police Chief Ed Lennon reminded residents that a charging station has been established at the East Haven Senior Center until 3:00 PM today and will also be available tomorrow August 6th from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Lennon said, “Please exercise additional caution when driving and if possible, limit road travel so utility crews can complete their work as fast as possible.” Lennon went on to say “at the
time of this release, East Haven is dealing with 77 separate events of power issues in Town, which impacts 3,402 homes. This accounts for approximately 25% of the homes served by the UI in Town.”
“Public Safety personnel and our Department of Public Services will continue to work toward the recovery of this storm and prepare for the next, as we are only in the early part of hurricane season.” Carfora said.

Mayor Joseph A. Carfora