You asked whether the electric companies (Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating) have specific procedures for restoring power to disabled customers following an outage, particularly to those on life support or similar equipment.

The procedure for restoring service to such customers depends on the scope of the outage. If the outage only affects a few homes, the companies will give priority to restoring service to those customers they know to be on life support equipment. But if the outage affects a larger area, which is more commonly the case after major storms, the companies first restore power to circuits serving public emergency facilities such as hospitals and police and fire stations; water and sewage treatment facilities; and nursing homes. The companies consult with local officials in determining the specific priority of service restoration. Next, the circuits serving the maximum number of customers are restored. Then, lines serving smaller groups of customers are restored. Finally, crews restore service to individual homes and buildings. Both companies give priority to restoring service in this last group to customers they know are on life support.

Both companies maintain lists of customers who depend on electrically-powered life-sustaining medical such as respirators and kidney machines. Connecticut Light & Power customers can call the company at 1-800-286-2000 (947-2000 in the Hartford area or 860-947-2000 from Meriden) to get on its list. United Illuminating customers can get on its list by calling 1-800-442-5004. Both companies occasionally put information regarding these lists on bill inserts and in their newsletters.

Both companies have websites advising customers on how to prepare for and respond to outages (www. cl-p. com/stormcenter/storm. asp and http: //www. uinet. com/customer_service/stormtips. asp for Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating, respectively). United Illuminating's website specifically addresses customers with medical concerns. It asks customers who use electrically operated life-support or medical monitoring equipment to call the company to inform it of their situation. Customers are then faxed a certificate for their doctors to fill out, verifying their condition. Upon receipt of the verification, UI will mark the customer's account. If the company knows that it will need to shut off power in an area, it will try to give advance notice of the outage to such customers. The website also recommends that such customers have:

1. an alternative source of electric power such as a battery back-up system, an uninterruptible power supply, or a properly installed generator; and

2. a plan to recharge batteries, if necessary.

KM: ro