Power outages have plagued the northeast in the days following Tropical Storm Isaias, thrusting the impotence of officials, some of whom have attacked utility companies, to the forefront.
Isaias made landfall in North Carolina last week, making its way up the East Coast and causing mass power outages across the northeast. Residents of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York went without power for days, with tens of thousands still dealing with blackouts. On Monday, the New York Times reported that some 90,000 customers “mostly in New York and Connecticut,” continued to face the world without electricity.
While utility companies are working to restore power, all eyes are turning to the vulnerable population residing in nursing homes, but this time, the virus is not the only threat. A heatwave descended upon the northeast this week, increasing concerns.
Residents of Connecticut have directed the bulk of their anger at electric company Eversource. As of Monday evening, over 68,000 Eversource customers remained without power, according to the Hartford Courant. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has called on Eversource CEO Jim Judge to resign, but Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont (D) does not believe that is the answer.
“Right now everybody’s saying, ‘Off with their heads. Let’s sue them,’ but you did that last time. And you’ve had three different CEOs, so that’s not the issue,” Lamont said, suggesting that the company offer refunds to customers as an act of goodwill. – READ MORE
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