National Guard units were out Friday helping to clear downed trees from roads affected by Tuesday’s storms. Many residents in Western Connecticut are still without power as crews work to restore heavily damaged electric infrastructure.
The National Weather Service has now confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in parts of the state during the storms.
Eversource, which services the vast majority of customers remaining without power, said that it expects to make a full restoration by noon on Sunday.
The utility said helicopters are being used to identify damage in remote areas, and in some cases bulldozers and other heavy equipment are needed to access repair locations. Danbury, Brookfield, Monroe, and Newtown remain the most heavily affected towns.
Thursday evening, Governor Dannel Malloy appealed for patience as utilities work to reconnect power.
"There are large swaths of towns where every electric delivery system along every road has been adversely impacted in some way -- tree limb bringing the wires down, transformers being brought down," he said, briefing reporters at the State Emergency Operations Center. "Quite frankly, I think that the company is being realistic in telling folks that if you’re currently out of power in one of those heavily affected communities you’re likely to be without power for a period of time."
At least three emergency shelters remain open in the affected area.
