On Monday, an announcement was sent describing a brief power outage, which was corrected by generators at the Westport High School during school hours.

The message  did not begin to capture the gravity of the event, which began in the early morning hours.  Powerful electrical surges were sent into 3,854 homes and businesses according to Eversource. The surges and subsequent power outages damaged electrical circuit boards, computer software that needed to be reloaded from the box,  laptops plugged into chargers no longer open, and modems were not recognized by the computer.  

This was a serious event caused by equipment failures. According to Eversource, multiple transformers on poles had to be replaced. Work continued until 5 pm to correct the equipment failures affecting 3,854 customers.

With more and more equipment running along antiquated lines strung from telephone poles subject to wind, rain, snow, and ice, to car crashes, tree falls, and equipment failures, residents should take heed or risk losing work and computers.

As a precaution, voltage regulators can be installed by licensed electricians at the house or office's electrical boxes to minimize the damage of an electrical failure and subsequent surge and power loss and generators installed. 

Joseph Ingoldsby

Westport