(credit: CBS 2)
HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) — After last weekend’s snowstorm, crews from power companies all over the country headed to the Tri-State to help, as they did after Hurricane Irene. However, this time around, fewer crews were dispatched to Connecticut.
Michigan-based Campbell Electric sent 17 crews to the Nutmeg State after Irene, but only six this week. Owner Carmen Campell claims the muted response was due to Connecticut Light and Power failing to pay for the previous aid.
Latest Outage Numbers: CL&P | Shelter List: click here.
“Kinda scary, because we already had like, over $3 million invoice and out for Hurricane Irene,” he told WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman.
LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Alex Silverman reports
Campbell says he could have sent 30 more crews, but he couldn’t afford to pay for their benefits.
“Let them all know, if you pay us, we can send out a lot more,” he said. “In truth, there’s quite a few smaller companies like ours that could have sent people, had they gotten paid.”
Technically, when the snowstorm hit, CL&P had a few more days before payment was due. Campbell says the check finally arrived late, on Friday.
Campbell says the outage numbers would’ve reduced much more quickly had CL&P wrote the checks more quickly.
How would you prepare for power outages? Sound off in our comments section below…
10 Comments
This is ridiculous! I’m going into my 10th day without power and no signs of getting it back anytime soon. CL&P MUST BE FIRED!!! The states and towns should be responsible for the electric distribution system. The parent company of CL&P (Northeast Utilities) has a press release on their site showing a stock dividend of $.325 per share there are 177 Million share outstanding in Northeast Utilities. This equates to over $57,000,000 being paid to the shareholders of the company. If this money was reinvested into the electrical distribution system we may not have had the record outages over the past week. If companies like this one continue their practices as usual maybe even more manufacturing jobs in this area will disappear. There were a number of companies in CT and Mass that were not able to open for the week due to the power outages and this is not the first time this happened in the last 90 days. For some companies this is Millions of lost dollars. In this economy most companies cannot take that kind of hit. They may simply move out of the area leaving even more people in the unemployment line. The electrical system in the USA is part of our infrastructure and is part of what keeps our economy going. We simply cannot afford to have it in control of people looking only for a profit. The electrical grid and distribution is a part of our national infrastructure and should be run as a non-profit or a government department.
November 8, 2011 at 11:56 am
LOL…….now I heard everything!!!!
November 6, 2011 at 10:00 pm
If you read the whole article it never says CL&P were LATE paying. Their payment wasn’t due until after the snowstorm. It was more of a cash flow issue for the contractors – they didn’t have the cash on hand to pay the “benefits” to the workers. What this means is the per diems and hotels, etc. That these business owners would blame CL&P for their own cash flow issues issues is beyond me. Why would CL&P pay the previous invoices before they were due? Every company pays on or just before the due date.
November 6, 2011 at 8:04 pm
I heard about this and it makes me upset, especially since I was in the storm. I try not to get angry at CL&P, but it was their transformer afterall that caused the fire I was in and they are the reason millions are without power. You could say that I am a little bitter about it, but who wouldn’t be?
November 6, 2011 at 6:42 pm
So you’re basically saying that the C\/ntNecticutt wads caught the CL&Ps?
November 6, 2011 at 5:00 pm
its dumb,after everything this country is going through,wat have we learned?we need to pull together and help each other than bitching bout not getting paid.ya its hard on everyone.where there’s a will there’s a way
November 6, 2011 at 10:15 am
I agree…but apparently CL&P wanted to save a little money….wonder what it’s costing them now in OT ?? A-holes…
November 6, 2011 at 7:29 am
Minimize the outages after a storm by having an aggressive tree trimming maintenance program.
November 6, 2011 at 6:40 am
CL&P?
Cold
Lightless
&
Powerless
November 5, 2011 at 10:37 pm
You get what you paid for.
In this case, I hope CL&P learn their lesson.
November 5, 2011 at 7:56 pm