CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Connecticut is stepping in to help as millions of people are still without power after Hurricane Helene hammered the Southeast.

“The size of the trees that have come down here is unbelievable, just gigantic trees everywhere,” United Illuminating Senior Manager of Regional Operations Christine Pariseau said.

Travelers relieved to make it to Connecticut ahead of Hurricane Helene

The devastation is unlike anything Pariseau has seen before. She said restoring power to millions is an arduous and urgent task and one that takes trained hands.

“Not a lot of people do this type of work so it is important to use the mutual aid,” Pariseau said.

That’s why UI in Connecticut is lending their hands with 28 line crews down in Virginia and North Carolina.

“They have 14 linemen here and that’s it so they need as much as they can get and so we bring support, mechanics and a few more people to make sure we are self-sufficient,” Pariseau said.

They left on Saturday, along with 45 additional crews from Avangrid in Maine and New York.

Eversource also sent 40 line crews and 20 support personnel from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to help out.

“No hotels have power down here so it’s been a struggle,” Pariseau said. “The guys have gotten quite a few thousand of people back on.”

Americares provides mutual aid to help the devastation of Hurricane Helene

Beyond utility repairs, Connecticut crews are also performing water rescues and wellfare checks.

The state’s Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security said eight people from their Urban Search and Rescue Team are in North Carolina including swift water technicians, a state trooper and paramedic and communications engineer. They are also checking debris piles and vehicles that were swept down rivers.

Connecticut is helping out with another critical need: food.

Bear’s Smokehouse, that has two locations here, is offering free hot meals at their restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. They are also launching a fundraiser to support ongoing relief efforts.

Connecticut crews have brought people to safety, restored electricity and given out free meals, really helping out in every way.

Most arrived last weekend and expect to be in Virginia and North Carolina for at least a week.

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John Ashton, an actor known for his role as John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” film series, has died at 76.

Ashton, who was born in Massachusetts and raised in Connecticut, died on Sept. 26, according to an obituary provided to USA Today by his representative.

According to his obituary, Ashton “passed away peacefully” in Colorado. A cause of death was not provided.

Ashton starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, which released its first two installments in 1984 and 1987. He reprised his role for a third film that premiered earlier this year.

Here’s what to know.

John Ashton, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ actor, dies at 76

John Ashton, a film and television actor with New England roots, died last week at the age of 76.

“John was a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather who will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” an obituary provided to USA Today said.

Ashton was known for his role as John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” film franchise, most recently starring in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” earlier this year.

He appeared as Det. Sgt. Taggart in the franchise’s first two films, which were released in 1984 and 1987, respectively. In the latest installment that was released this year, Taggart was promoted to police chief.

The films star Ashton alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold.

“Going back to this one was like a family reunion — we just fell right back into it,” Ashton said about the latest movie in an interview with Nerds of Color earlier this year.

Actor John Ashton’s roots in Massachusetts and Connecticut

Before he played a cop in California, John Ashton was a local in New England.

He was born on February 22, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, and raised in Enfield, Connecticut. He graduated from Enfield High School before studying theatre arts at the University of Southern California.

In a 2020 interview with MovieJunk, Ashton said he grew up in a “pretty rough town” and got into acting because he was a delinquent in high school.

“My mother was going to send me to military school to straighten me out and stuff and the director of my high school theater group stopped me in the hall and asked me if I wanted to be in this play and I said, ‘Yeah, sure’,” Ashton said.

Ashton began his acting career with small film roles in the 1970s before appearing in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films in the 1980s and again in 2024.

He was also known for roles in the films “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “Midnight Run.” Additionally, he had recurring television roles on “Dallas” and “Hardball.”