Alert, loyal and very generous “06880” reader Terry Brannigan writes:
I can’t believe I’m just thinking of this now, but if any of your readers are without power and need a place to go, we have plenty of room.
How’s that for a spectacular offer? First come, first served: terence.brannigan@gartner.com.
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FYI –
The Wall Street Journal reports today…. “First, Connecticut Light & Power,
the state’s largest electricity provider, has cut staff by more than 20% in the past decade and relies heavily on out-of-state crews to repair power lines during major outages.”
We pay more for electricity it seems, than anybody else – and they run their company like this???
CL&P needs to be fined severely for this – they are a disgrace!
I can’t be as generous as Terry, but if any FWP (family without power) needs a load of laundry doing I’d be happy to help. siobhanalmond@hotmail.com. Also I have spare blankets. Like Terry, I should have thought of this before.
I totally concur with Anonymous on this issue. We were finally restored power last night after five (5) days. We were the only street on North Avenue without power and despite that fact that we have the town attorney and a medical doctor who has her practice out of her home, on this street, we could get nowhere with CL&P. We were told we were on a “Priority Listing” but they could not tell us what that meant nor when we could expect restoration. It turned out to be (for the second time) a breaker and it took them five minutes to fix it last night. Considering the magnitude of this storm (3 inches of snow?) and Irene (a tropical storm only), the restoration time is horrific. State Senator Boucher is leading the way to spank CL&P’s asses as well as institute some form of mandatory tree trimming. You fart on North Avenue now and a tree falls causing outage. Time to be proactive instead of sitting back saying it is nature’s way.
It is awfully nice of the Branigans. I do prefer may own house that came with a very nice 1.5 million dollar pricetag. It is worthless to me without electricity. It makes one wonder why live here in Westport when they can’t keep the power going.
Sheila, it’s tacky to talk about the price of your house (doesn’t sound like a “home” to me). Even a $200K home is worthless without electricity, but they’re not picking on you. I’m sure you can move somewhere else where they never have power outages.
If you would see my electric bill; you might understand why I expect better service from a state regulated utility. They call this the Gold Coast? Hah! Take me back to Carmel.
It’s tacky to talk about the market value of your house? How long have you lived here?? Its all Westporters talk about.
Sheila…………..STOP WHINING!
If you have so much money to buy an expensive house you should have enough money to buy a generator.
STOP WHINING and Get Over Yourself.
You are a bad case of herpes, Wrecker.
You only know that Anon because we had “Intimate” relations together…..
Anon……you only know that because we had “intimate” relations together……
You wish. I can tell it Wrecker by the sores on your mouth. They affect your brain cells and as a result, your fingers on the keyboard.
You know you want it Sheila!
I choke on small bones, Wrecker.
You can always lick my starfish.
Having you been taking your Prozac today?
Nope…….I kicked that to the curb a while ago……..Thorazine is what I main line now……
By the straw or needle?
One wonders where the “06880” blog has been regarding the power outage and the dismal plight of many Westporters. I guess Dan has power.
Dan does have power. Dan has seen many comments on the power outage and the dismal plight of many Westporters on this story, and several others Dan has written. Dan did not have power after the past couple of storms, and knows what it’s like not to have power for an extended period. Dan wonders what “Anonymous” would like Dan to write about.
Maybe why Dan refers to himself in the 3rd person?
2,200 homes in Westport without power for three days or more. I can’t imagine what you could write about.
I think the most important words for Coach/Prof. W are:
GO STAPLES SOCCER, TOMORROW, 7 P.M., FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE, FCIAC FINALS!!
YAWN
Yawn. There is a reason they don’t call it fubol here.
Caution… could be a “tell” in use.
Damn straight! Hell with Waldman and this other bullshit. I am on day 6 without power.
Terry,
I have power, but might just stop by anyway 🙂
Go get ’em Dude !
Terry: This is such a nice offer. We have electricity but I think that you are being a truly generous and kind person. Thank you, joyce colburn
I had a pleasure of briefly working along with Terry at Allen’s Clam House some decades ago. He’s a gentleman.
Deregulated monopolists rarely have the customer’s best interest in mind. It’s a feature not a bug of the system. After 3 “unprecedented” weather events in less than 2 years, that reality should be painfully clear to us all.
Indeed, bend over and smile. Seems to have a common thread with the OWS crowd: we would like to be treated fairly with some resemblance of expertise.
Yes, indeed.
CL&P is not deregulated.
Electric Rates in Connecticut
General
Electric rates are set by the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) and are designed to recover the cost of providing service. When setting rates, the DPUC first determines the cost to serve each of the major customer groups; that is, residential, commercial, industrial and streetlighting customers. Rates are then set to collect these approved costs based on an estimate or forecast of sales.
To all of you other WHINERS with the typical “Me First” CT attitude………….
Remember this #…….830,000.
You obviously have no clue how extensive thedamage is throughout our state.
At the peak of the outages six days ago there were 830,000 electricity customers without power.
It takes TIME people to clear the debris and restore that many customers.
Get over Yourselves!
Wrecker: Your own whining outweighs any whining here. January 4th, 2008: Northern California had a freak winter storm with down wires and a mess. 1.6 million without power. By the end of the next day, January 5th, PG&E had restored all the power. 2,200 homes in Westport. 2 crews. Gross inefficiency and management. You are drinking their Kool Aid. Get over yourselves? What is that, an 80’s term? “Child Please.”
Apples to Oranges CD55…………….
http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q1_2008/080104a.shtml
“The storm has caused more than 1,300,000, or about 20 percent, of the utility’s electric customers to lose power since Friday morning with damages to roughly 40 miles of power lines and 105 poles.”
LOL……40 miles of power lines and 105 poles….LOL!
You obviously have no clue how extensive the damage in CT is.
And how do you know? From what CL&P is telling you? The damage is a result of forestry and not any severe storm. It was a fall snow storm that produced heavy snow is all. Certainly damage and outage that could have been avoided by an utility and/or populus that should have learned by now. Trees have to be trimmed severely or removed. The state is doing that on the Merritt already but too many tree huggers and imbeciles, like you, here in Westport.
Ahhh Haaaa!……..so you ARE admitting that the damage is more severe here in CT than the 2008 storm in CA you cited!
And that is why it is taking so long for the power to be restored in CT.
I didn’t introduce the CA issue as a comparative. I gave it as an example of an efficient utility. No one knows the extent of damage in CT. We are relying on CL&P estimates which are tainted, if not downright lies. It is taking so long because CL&P is understaffed. Call the command center here 203-341-5000 and talk with supervisor Godfrey. He will tell you the same thing.
How can the CA issue be a “comparative” if the damage wasn’t equal in each case?
Just because they had Higher numbers of outages than CT and were able to restore power within a couple of days vs. CT’s situation doesn’t make it comparative.
Maybe they had easily restorable circuits or substations that tripped out and just had to be reset vs. CT which had 15 major TRANSMISSION lines downed by the storm to the substations. Those don’t get repaired in 2 days.
Let alone the extensive damage to the neighborhood power lines by down trees, etc.
There is no way you can compare the two and blame CL&P in being slow to fix the outages vs. CA without side-by-side statistics/info on damaged infrastructure.
You just want to argue. I told you it was not introduced not as a comparison but for a good example of an utility who was prepared and acted. CL&P knew Irene was coming a week in advance and sent most crews to New Jersey. Trees have been an issue here for years and CL&P, in an apparent effort to save man hours, has ignored it.
It’s dickheads like wrecker who are happily driving our country into a ditch. CL&P’s response is not acceptable, and hasn’t been in any of the last three weather events. We must hold our “public utilities” to much higher standards. Those like wrecker whose only comments ever seems to be “suck it up” are enabling failed institutions like CL&P to continue to fail. It doesn’t have to be this way, but it is because of wrecker and all his other useful idiot buddies continue to cheer lead America’s decline from a 1st world country.
Maybe I have a VaginaHead…………
Just Sayin’
(PS – it’s liberal pukes like you Anon that expect the government to do everything for them rather than learning to be be self-sufficient. How was it growing up in New Orleans? Did you get your Gubment Cheese handouts after Katrina?)
Impressive.
Stay classy wrecker.
Useful idiots are useful for many purposes.
Says the pot calling the kettle black……… “DickHead”
“Stay Classy” Anon!
I must say Wrecker, time to clean up your act with the verbiage. Sound like Rush. Are you a Ditto Head?
Nope…….apparently according to Anon…..I am a “DickHead”
I thought you were a VaginaHead? Can’t be both. Ditto Heads can but not dickheads.
“”Maybe” I have a VaginaHead…………”
Then get a Brazilian wax job.
I did just last week!
Is it shiny?
Like you wouldn’t believe!
Then you are clone head not a dick, vagina, or ditto.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s data compiled in 2009 and released in April 2011, Connecticut has the HIGHEST average retail price of electricity (cents/kwh) in the contiguous 48 states. The average retail price of electricity in CT as per this report is 18.06 cents per kilowatt hour. Hawaii had the highest at 21.21 cents per kwh. Most states have retail prices that are half or less than half of what ours cost, and the average retail price for the ENTIRE United States is only 9.82 cents per kilowatt hour! There is something desperately wrong with this picture.
When I tell family or friends who live all over the country what our electricity costs here, their teeth just about fall out. Add to our ridiculously high rates the fact that we increasingly lose power for days on end, makes the situation even more outrageous. No wonder more people are moviing out of Connecticut and businesses won’t move in.
So what can be done to remedy this enormous ripoff?
Hell , I don’t mind paying Amy but I expect some good service in return. 4-7 days outage for 2,200 homes in Westport is terrible.
No one tookme up onour offer. They probably heard how loud it gets at night here with 3 boys! Peter, I love any Allen’s Clam House reference…in particular if there is no reference to my tendency to char things on the broiler!
It is not over yet Terry and more outages to come in the forthcoming winter. Leave the front porch light on for me. Thanks.
Thank you to the kind people who had generous hearts and offered help to those in need. It is too bad that this posting started out on a nice note and ended up with neighbors trashing neighbors.
Sort of like the GOP debates?
You should all be ashamed of yourselves. I was very amused at all the adolescent comments but talk about spoiled children. None of you are starving. There are shelters to go to if you are cold. Remember this when all returns to normal and you are asked to contribute to a homeless shelter or a food pantry.
Good point, Old Brit. Remember the days of Nazis bombings in London old chap? In a recent study more people wanted to give or volunteer to assist animals (19%) compared with the helping the homeless (8%). Sure, we are spoiled. We are Americans. Fat and sassy. Remember? Also helped you Limeys from speaking German. Remember that when you are bitching about us.
Thank you, Terry, for your generous and brave offer. Most of the other comments just make me sad. Can’t we keep it civil?
Civil? Like the GOP debates or OWS or Afganistan or Congress or being without power for 6 days? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa.
Spouting angry vitriol never helped anyone or anything. We don’t need to behave like them, in fact, doing so only distracts us from the issues – which is precisely why they do it.
Just so you know, I have a nephew heading to Afganistan this summer, I’ve been without power for 5 days due to CL&P’s mismanagement and been without a job for a year due to “downsizing” so that the owners of the company can make more money for themselves. I’ve had to cancel my health insurance because it went up by 50% in September. Don’t worry JAM, I have no illusions about Santa, and I know that even without power and without a job I’m still more fortunate than many other people.
I’m just wondering why we can’t have a civil debate amongst ourselves without resorting to name calling? Is it some kind of game that I just don’t get?
Ms. Gilbertie – best of luck to you in these very difficult times. You are not alone. While I have sympathy for your call for civility, I believe it’s going to take a little yelling and screaming to get us out of a mess that evidently some of our neighbors seem to applaud.
My thoughts and prayers will be you this holiday season.
Ms. Gilbertie, I am one of the very few lucky Westporter’s who rarely lose power and welcome you to lights, warmth, laundry facilities, etc. If you are intersted, and I hope you are, Dan Woog knows how to contact me.
Virginia: Sorry for your series of misfortunes and God’s speed to your nephew. But if you read over the comments here, you will note that much of the anger has turned comical. Many share your concern and are scared. It is unusally troubled times we live in now. This blog allows for such a release to that mindset and to control it, often defeats its purpose.
Thank you for your kind words of support and for helping me understand what all the yelling and screaming is about.
May I suggest that Sheila K. and Wrecker get married ?
They do have so much in common… a salty sense of humor, quick fingers, and blunt expression.
Maybe just date ?
How’about we just get a room….??!!
I like the way you think 🙂 Post the video, please.
I will pass, Wrecker unless you trade in your thorazine for the little blue pills.
FYI — COSTCO NORWALK JUST GOT A DELIVERY OF 180 CHAMPION 7500 WATT GENERATORS $699 .. THEY ARE GOING FAST AND WILL SOLD OUT BY TOMORROW..OR POSSIBLIY TODAY. GET THERE ASAP IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ONE…OR TWO…. I BOUGHT 3! (FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN NEED).
Did you buy a chainsaw too?
Dude, Costco doesn’t carry chainsaws. Besides, I have a new friend who has one! 😉
So is one of the generators for me????
Not sure, Dude, I can’t move them out of my car! Damn, those suckers are heavy! Maybe I’ll just keep them in there to help with traction when it snows! On a separate note, Dude, good luck in the NYC Marathon on Sunday! You Rock!
The cost of electricity in CT is set by the government. The standards of performance are established by the government. It is therefore, amusing to see politicians ranting about the cost of electricity and the performance of CL&P. As somebody once said; the government is not the solution, it is the problem.
http://www.ctenergyinfo.com/dpuc_rate_design.htm
I believe it was Glenn Beck who said that. Point well taken though. Basically the world is a cluster*&^%. Pass the doobie
I think Ronald Regan said it first.
Actually I am an American and I vote. So my handle probably should be Ex-Old Brit. And yes, bRA , I am indeed grateful that the Americans (eventually) entered the war and helped beat Germany. You are entitled to be as “fat and sassy” as you like . But how about being fat, sassy and polite.
Nah, not my style. Sorry. I am an old broad who has been around the block too many times. Been there, done that. Time to speak our minds. The day of political correctness got us into this culturiological shit hole where we value Kim’s wedding-divorce, Justin’s baby and DWTS more than our soldiers at war.
Let’s all take a page from Virginia’s book. She remained above the fray when life dealt her a few bad hands. May we all be a little more like her.