The Day After Irene, Manchester Picks Up the Pieces

The day after Irene passed through the area, Manchester was , although the town seemed to be impacted less severely than many other towns in the state.

As of 3 p.m. Monday, 13,062 customers in town, or 45 percent of total electrical customers, were still without power, according to information provided by Connecticut Light & Power.

General Manager Scott Shanley said he had spoken with CL&P personnel Monday and they informed him they had two crews in town working to restore power, although he did not know when all power in town would be restored.

“A few days is what they’re saying,” Shanley said.

Despite the high percent of the town still without power, outages are down from a maximum of 56 percent late Sunday afternoon. Neighboring towns like Bolton and Glastonbury are still seeing outage figures well over 50 percent. Full CL&P outage figures across the state can be viewed here.

CL&P officials and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have scheduled a news conference for 5 p.m. Monday at the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Hartford to update the public on the power situation and the efforts to restore it throughout the state.

Shanley said that Manchester probably sustained less long term damage from Irene than many other towns in the area that suffered flooding and heavy wind damage, although Shanley did declare a state of emergency for the storm Saturday evening.

“I think we are very, very fortunate,” Shanley said. “There are issues that we have to deal with, but the issues that we have to deal with aren’t anywhere near as severe as some other towns.”

Shanley said the town was assessing the damage from Irene and would apply for any state and federal reimbursement funds it would be eligible for.

By noon Monday, the town had also closed the that had been set up at the Manchester Senior Center on East Middle Turnpike and deactivated a non-emergency hotline it had established to keep residents informed during the storm. A parking ban put in place Saturday evening also expired Monday morning. 

The shelter served nine residents while it was open. Town officials said that anyone who still requires shelter Monday because of the storm could call the town’s Customer Service line during business hours, 860-647-5235, or Public Safety answering line after business hours, 860-645-5500. The is also prepared to assist residents who require food or shelter because of the storm.

Shanley said that all non-electrical related fallen trees had been removed from roads and other areas in town where they could pose a hazard, while the town was working with the CL&P crews to remove any fallen branches or trees near electrical wires.

The Manchester Police Department headquarters on East Middle Turnpike is operating on a backup generator because it lost power due to the storm, but Shanley said that CL&P would prioritize restoring power to the station.

Public Schools in Manchester are not slated to open until Wednesday for kindergarten through grade nine students, and Thursday for grades 10 through 12, but the damage from the storm had not impacted that schedule as of Monday afternoon.

Fire Chief Robert Bycholski cautioned residents not to sweep debris from trees to the curb, as the town will not collect it. Instead, he said, brush less than four feet in length should be tied in bundles weighing less than 40 pounds, which will be collected on the town’s regular collection days; logs will not be collected and should be brought to the town’s landfill on Olcott Street; leaves, grass and clippings will also be collected on regular collection days, and must be placed in paper bags weighing less than 50 pounds.