Lamont Updates CT Residents On Path Of Tropical Storm Henri

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont advised residents early Sunday afternoon they weren't out of the woods yet, following the National Weather Service's downgrade of Henri from hurricane to tropical storm.

During a briefing on Sunday afternoon, the governor reminded residents that both Sandy and Isaias had been categorized as tropical storms, and were devastating to the region.

"We're just getting started," Lamont said. Tropical Storm Henri made landfall around 12:15 p.m. near Westerly, RI, causing 75,000 power outages so far in that state.

As Henri moved east over the past 24 hours, Connecticut incurred lower wind gusts than originally forecast. Heavy rain and flooding are a growing concern, according to meteorologists.

Flash flood warnings were issued for much of the central and eastern parts of the state on Sunday.

See Also: CT Weather: Tropical Storm Henri Slams State With Wind, Rain

• Flash Flood Warning Just Issued For New Haven/Middlesex County
• Flash Flood Warning For Hartford/Tolland County Due To Henri

At 2:30 p.m., there were 32,000 power outages in Connecticut, and another 7,000 in Massachusetts. Neighboring New York is faring much better, having reported only 2,600 homes and businesses without electricity so far.

Lamont called the number of Connecticut residents in the dark "concerning."

Canterbury has been hit the hardest as of 2 p.m., with over 94 percent of resident and businesses there without power.

See Also: CT Power Outages Town-By-Town: Over 28K Without Electricity

On Saturday, before the storm's downgrade, Eversource had estimated that 50-69 percent of its 1.25 million customers might lose power when Henri blew through Connecticut.

There are twice as many crews on the ground as have ever been deployed in the state for a weather emergency, Lamont said. The power companies are bringing in utility workers from as far away as Texas, and promised that COIVID-19 testing and vaccination would be made available for all worker coming into the state, Lamont said.