HARTFORD, CT —Gov. Ned Lamont spoke with President Donald Trump Thursday night and was able to expedite an emergency declaration for the state of Connecticut.
Lamont applied for the emergency declaration on Wednesday following Tropical Storm Isaias, which left more than 800,000 electricity customers in the dark.
Approval of the emergency declaration allows the state to request direct federal assistance to supplement the ongoing state and local efforts to save lives and protect public health and safety during the crisis, including certain equipment and other resources.
“Approval of this declaration is very much appreciated as hundreds of thousands in our state remain without power days after the storm made landfall in Connecticut,” Lamont said. “We’re continuing to work with our federal and local counterparts to assess the damage and may seek additional federal support during the response, recovery, and rebuilding process.”
Eversource estimates it will have power restored to most customers by late Tuesday night, a week after Tropical Storm Isaias hit the state. The company says they will have restoration “substantially complete,” which means fewer than 1 percent of customers will be without power.
United Illuminating, which covers 17 towns in Connecticut, said it planned to restore power to a majority of its customers by the end of the day Saturday.