Nearly 25,000 customers of Connecticut Light & Power in Greenwich are without electricity after a tree fell on a major transmission line, the company reported Monday.
Outages in Stamford were restored by Monday afternoon, but 24,594 residents of Greenwich still lacked power, the utility said. The outage occurred when a tree -- 85-feet tall and 16-inches in diameter -- was knocked onto transmission lines.
A 24-ton crane was used to clear the tree from the site Monday, the utility said.
The summer storms that blew through the region last night knocked down the tree, which was on a private property on Summit Road, said power company spokesman Frank Poirot. Power should be restored by 8 p.m., Poirot said.
Stay on top of summer storms with interactive radar.
The First Selectman in Greenwich declared a state of emergency at 10:15 a.m. Greenwich police also warn that many traffic control signals might not be operating during the power outage.
Businesses or residences that use the municipal sewer system are asked to help conserve water to the greatest extent possible to reduce the strain on the municipal sewer pump stations and treatment plant.
The Town of Greenwich opened cooling centers at noon on Monday. They include the Community Room of the Public Safety Complex, at 11 Bruce Place, and the Ben Heim Western Greenwich Civic Center, at 449 Pemberwick Road.
The cooling spots will have connections for charging personal electronic devices. There will be no food or water.
The storm also caused rail problems because the line is in close proximity to railroad tracks operated by MetroNorth and Amtrak.
Metro-North trains are currently not operating west of the Cos Cob station, according to Greenwich officials.
Metro-North warns customers to expect crowded conditions and delays of up to 30 minutes.
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