Menino: NSTAR should pay for blackout

BOSTON (WHDH) -- The lights are back on in the Back Bay after NSTAR turned off power overnight. Officials said they believe all of their customers are back online as of Saturday evening.

Saturday, crews remained on the streets making repairs because some customers were still connected to generators.

As for businesses in the area, NSTAR officials said they do not reimburse for lost sales or food but Mayor Menino said that was not the final word.

The coffee was brewing again Saturday morning at Expresso Royale on Newbury Street but the small business lost almost all their food during the blackout.

“Well, we had to turn over all of our food, we had to dump everything we had. Fortunately we had another location we got to move all of our milk which is a little more expensive but everything else we had to turn over, it’s kind of tough,” said Brendan Higgins, assistant manager.

When the lights went out and stayed out businesses and individuals lost money but NSTAR said they are not liable because the transformer fire behind the blackout was not human error. NSTAR said businesses should contact their insurance companies.

But Rick Walker said the day of business he lost will probably come out of his pocket.

“I’m not entirely surprised and I’m sure they’ll be more than understanding when my electric bill is a little late this month,” said Rick Walker, a store owner.

NSTAR officials said they would be setting up a resource center for businesses at the Boston Public Library but they were quick to say that it was not a claims center.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is leading the charge to make NSTAR pay, he said expecting insurance companies to handle all the losses isn’t the answer.

“You know, the small guy lost a lot, you know, the guy who is a waiter, a waitress, whatever, workers in the kitchen, they lost a lot, two days pay for them is a big thing and we have to try to help them,” said Mayor Menino.

Mayor Menino also said he did not believe that there was no human error in the explosion and he said he wondered how the company did or did not maintain the transformer.

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