A sigh of relief

Guilford, Conn. (WTNH) - There is a big sigh of relief for business owners on this Labor Day weekend that Earl veered east because it means they can get on with a lucrative three days.

Many people living along the Connecticut shoreline have been talking about Earl for days. There has been much concern such as tropical storm warnings, but these placid waters in Guilford, that is a beautiful thing to many people.

The commercial fishing vessels rest quietly on the waters. High tide shook hands with the shore, and is receding. The extra rope used to keep the boats stable isn't needed.

"It's beautiful," said Bud Harris, a commercial fisherman. "I'd take this any day. It's beautiful. We've been watching it close and figured last night we'd tie the boats off just to be safe."

The familiar saying of "better safe than sorry" was practiced state-wide as Earl churned up the coast. An hours drive north of where Bud's boat is moored are the headquarters of Connecticut Light & Power. Stealing a maritime phrase, it was all hands on deck at the Emergency Operations Center where employees monitored the storms progress, wondering the impact it will have and how many crews would be needed to repair downed power lines. The company even had it's mobile command center at the ready to hit the road if things got really bad. If a big storm ever hit, power outages could be massive due to the amount of healthy trees in our state.

"One of the biggest challenges in our service territory is trees," said Mike Zappone, CL&P Emergency Preparedness Manager. "We are one of the most most heavily treed utilities in the country. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 per distribution mile. From a hurricane standpoint, an adverse weather standpoint, trees are probably the toughest barrier for us.

Early on, it seems Earl has more fizzle than firepower. That is a forecast for a good night's sleep.

"I think I'm going to pack it in real soon, go home and get a nap," Harris said.

As far as Connecticut Light and Power crews go, they are going to have people on standby all night, waiting for this whole system to pass.