Emergency Declared, Outages Expected

Governor Ned Lamont has declared a state of emergency, now in effect and continuing throughout Monday. The governor also signed an order prohibiting commercial vehicles from highways until further notice.

During the height of the storm, said Mr. Lamont, “we are going to experience intense winds that will cause whiteout conditions, severely limiting visibility and making motor vehicle travel very dangerous.” He urged everyone in the state to avoid “unnecessary, non-essential travel” and to check in on vulnerable neighbors.

At a press conference with the governor this afternoon, Steve Sullivan, the Eversource President of Connecticut Electric Operations, said “well over a thousand crews” are ready to respond, but that several hundred thousand customers in the state could be without power for two to six days.

Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto of the Department of Transportation said snowfall will be wet and heavy, taking much more time to clear than the “light and fluffy” snow in January’s storm.

“And if trees come down,” he said, “which we do expect, our crews cannot go out to clear those trees until Eversource is out there to de-energize. But we can't go out during 50, 70 mile per hour winds, just as I know Eversource won't be able to either.”

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz echoed the call for the public to stay home and off the roads. State emergency management director William Turner said travel on Monday morning from 2:00 to 4:00 am would be “treacherous.”

“There will be emergencies,” said Ronnell Higgins, commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services. “For State Police to respond, we need you, the motoring public, to stay off the roads. Stay off the roads so they can get to where they need to be.”