Crime & Safety

UPDATED Storm Wallops Darien; Thousands Powerless for Days

Connecticut Light and Power says it is unlikely Darien will see power before Wednesday.

Heavy rains and 60 mph winds, the result of a slow-moving storm system that walloped Fairfield County through the overnight, have downed over 50 trees in Darien, leaving dozens of roads closed and over 3,800 residents without power.

Connecticut Light & Power has resumed its efforts in restoring electricity, bringing an extra 100 trucks to the area and starting with high priority locations.

The company confirmed Monday morning that it is "unlikely" Darien will see power before Wednesday, March 17; even then, said CL&P representative Kimberly Marston, they cannot promise 100 percent restoration.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The good news, said CL&P's Al Lara, is that Darien's location allows crews to access the area relatively fast.

"Darien is lucky to be on the edge of a vast outage pattern, so we are able to get mutual aid assistance quicker than other municipalities," said Lara.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The company has upped its manpower, Lara said, bringing in crews from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio and even Quebec.

Police say they are "inundated" with reports of life threatening emergencies and ask that residents refrain from calling police to inquire about outages.

"People are going to have to be patient and realize it's going to be a few days for power to be restored," said First Selectman Dave Campbell.

There are no plans for an emergency shelter as of yet. Campbell said he would reconsider the need tomorrow, before leaving town for a few days. Selectman David Bayne will serve as Acting First Selectman in Campbell's absence.

Traveling is ill advised. Police say many roadways are completely impassable and all downed power lines are to be considered energized.

"Do not leave the safety of your residence unless it is an emergency and do not drive over power lines," said Sgt. Jeremiah Marron in a release.

Darien public schools have been closed for Monday, March 15 due to extensive storm damage.

Police ask that residents call the police department for emergencies only.

If you have storm photos, tips, or questions you can upload them right to this article. Alternatively, send your news along to cecelia@patch.com.


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