FARMINGTON, Conn. — Utility companies say that during power outages they prioritize restoration to healthcare facilities. But as of Thursday hundreds of the state’s elderly and vulnerable were in the dark and in the heat. Generators are meant as a short term solution to a power outage but they have been running non-stop.
At Anthology Assisted Living in Farmington, residents have been told the power might not be back on until Monday. "This should not be happening. There was enough warning that we knew this storm was coming," said Ellen Kliman of Manchester. Kliman’s 91 year old father and 86 year old mother are residents at the Anthology Assisted Living facility in Farmington. They've been without power since Isaias and generators are running. "This adds another layer of angst for those living there and for us the family members as we haven’t been able to get in to see them because of the pandemic," she said.
Anthology has logged 9 COVID infections and 6 deaths since the pandemic. They are just one of 75 long term care facilities across the state without power. Ellen says residents there have a single extension coord but there is no air conditioning. FOX61 reached out to CA Ventures, the company that operates Anthology but we have not heard back from them. "They have been given two flashlights for being able to see in their apartment. They are getting hot food because it’s gas but it is very uncomfortable. There is no air conditioning. There are no fans," explained Kliman. Mag Morelli of Leading Age Connecticut says even the simple use of a fan is more complicated in a pandemic. "In this day of COVID we have to be particularly careful about the way we are using our fans," explained Morelli.
Christine Tkacz is a regional administrator for Athena Healthcare. She told FOX61 Countryside Manor of Bristol not only lost power but also lost their generator for a short time. "They had their generator topped off and the generator went out for a very short period of time after that. That was difficult but all hands on deck everybody pitched in and helped out and kept the residents safe."
State Rep. Anne Hughes serves on the legislature’s aging committee. She also works at a long term care facility. She worries communities are competing for utility company resources. "Were in the middle of an emergency," said Rep. Hughes. "I’m not interested in blame I’m interested in saving lives...We’ve already seen first hand what under resourcing our long term care facilities does in a pandemic."
Long term care facilities told FOX61 that even on a generator they should be able to power their facility at about 80% capacity. FOX61 also reach out to Eversource and United Illuminating for a comment on why dozens of long term care facilities still don’t have power and as of this article being published we have not heard back.