Community Corner

Power Effort Crosses the Halfway Mark

By Friday afternoon, power restored to 51 percent of the town customers.

More people in town have power than don't have power.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, power had been restored to 51 percent of Ledyard customers, including the business district in Ledyard Center, all of the town's schools, most of the Highlands, Gales Ferry village, the Water Waste Treatment plant, Fox Run Apartments and others areas.

"And the effort to restore power will continue through the weekend until everyone is back," said Mayor Fred B. Allyn Jr., who called the storm's aftermath a test for the entire region.

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"As a region we had some things work very well, and there were some weaknesses, too," Allyn said.

On the plus side, the Mashantucket Pequot dispatch center was able to take over temporarily when a generator failed at the Ledyard Police Department the day after the storm. (The Ledyard PD is still without power, but the generator is back up and working.)

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

The Mashantuckets also provided the shower units that became available to residents Thursday at the Ledyard Center School.

In the height of the storm the Red Cross opened a regional emergency center at Fitch High School that some Ledyard residents took advantage of, and a respite center at the Groton Senior Center this week provided food and bottled water to residents, as well as hot showers.

With the help of the Ledge Light Health District and dozens of local volunteers, the town ran its own food and water distribution effort, which served 500 local families in two days before supplies ran out.

Allyn said for now residents who still need food or water may go to the Waterford Public Works complex on Route 85, between Crystal Mall and the Waterford Speed Bowl.

The food and water distribution was just one example of how residents have pitched in to help. Allyn said he called Holdridge's to ask if they could spare a forklift to unload supplies. A forklift and operator arrived within minutes and unloaded pallets for the next two days.

The town landfill has remained open all week to help residents dispose of brush. It will be open all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon. It will be closed Monday, Labor Day, but will reopen Tuesday.

It's Not Over Yet

Despite all the progress, there are still some 3,000 homes in Ledyard that are without electricity more than five days after the storm.

Allyn said at one point there were 100 Canadian crews on their way to Connecticut, but when the storm went into Canada the crews turned around and went north again.

"This was not a Connecticut storm," he said. "All of the East Coast was affected."

He said he regretted that Town Hall did not have an adequate generator to keep town offices functional after the power went out.

"Public Works had a generator, the fire companies and police department had generators, but we needed one here, because when the power went out we were dead in the water."

But he said everyone has to be pleased that there have been no serious injuries, thanks in large part to the good work of police, fire personnel and town crews. 

There have been some close calls. "Our fire marshall practically got his head taken off because he tried to tell a resident that he shouldn't run his generator in a closed garage," Allyn said.

Similarly, Ledyard Fire Chief Steve Daggett got an earful when he prevented a resident from using a ladder to remove tree limbs from power lines. 

Allyn acknowledged that the public's patience can wear thin during such times as this week. He said the loss of television and Internet service can be as upsetting to some residents as the loss of food and water.

"I think all the technology we have today is fine until it goes away, and then we don't know what to do without it," he said.


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