National Grid Responding to Damage Caused by Tropical Storm Henri
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WALTHAM, Mass — National Grid has nearly 4,000 field personnel in Rhode Island and Massachusetts responding to power outages caused by downed limbs, trees, and poles resulting from Tropical Storm Henri.
The storm delivered fierce winds and heavy rain, with some peak gusts reaching above 70 mph, leading to significant damage.
Field personnel in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are responding to emergency 911 and wires down calls, assessing the damage, clearing trees, and making repairs to electrical infrastructure where conditions are safe. This enables the restoration to proceed safely and efficiently and helps National Grid restore power to customers more quickly. Once damage assessment nears completion, National Grid will provide more information on potential estimated restoration times.
National Grid has restored power to more than 31,400 customers in Rhode Island and 20,700 Massachusetts since the storm's impact began this morning. Restoration work is continuing as conditions are deemed safe. Peak wind gusts are still in the 25-35 mph range in some areas.
As of 5 pm, approximately 72,600 customers in Rhode Island and 8,500 in Massachusetts were without power. The hardest hit communities in Rhode Island include South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, Jamestown, Charlestown and North Kingstown. National Grid urges customers to stay safe and provides several ways to stay connected and up-to-date on the latest safety and restoration information.
"At National Grid, we recognize that losing your power at any time is frustrating. We want to assure our customers that we are working expeditiously to restore their service as quickly and safely as possible," said Michael McCallan, Vice President of New England Electric Operations for National Grid. "Thousands of line and forestry workers are deployed across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, working to repair and restore the power systems in affected communities. We will not stop until every customer has their electricity back."
National Grid anticipates having the vast majority of customers restored by mid-week. Damage assessment is currently underway, and as this phase nears completion, National Grid will provide more information and tighter timelines on estimated restoration times.
The Company offers the following tips and reminders to customers:
Customers Should Stay Connected:
- Report power outages at www.nationalgridus.com or call 1-800-465-1212.
- Use your mobile device to track outage information and storm-related safety tips through National Grid's mobile site accessible at www.ngrid.com/mobile.
- Like National Grid on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram; we post all the latest storm and restoration updates.
- Track outages and estimated restoration times at www.nationalgridus.com/outage-central
To stay connected during storms and outages, text to 64743 using any of the below commands.
- REG to sign up for text alerts
- OUT to report an outage
- SUM followed by your town, county, or state to get a summary of outages in your area
- HELP for the full list of commands
Stay safe:
- Never touch downed power lines, and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires. If you see one, report it immediately to National Grid or your local emergency response organization.
- Power problems can sometimes interrupt public water supply systems or disable well pumps, so it's an especially good idea to keep a supply of bottled drinking water handy, as well as some canned food.
- People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a life support customer, call the company's Customer Service Center at 1-800-322-3223.
- Check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage period.
Electric safety:
- If you use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, disconnect from National Grid's system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could jeopardize the safety of line crews and the public.
- If you lose power, turn off any appliances that were on when the power went off, but leave one light on so you will know when power is restored.
- Reminder: It's not safe to work in an elevated bucket during periods of increased wind gusts. Our line workers begin restoration work only when conditions are deemed safe.
Gas Safety:
- If you suspect a natural gas leak:
- Get Out - All occupants should leave the house immediately. Do not use the telephone or light switches for any reason.
- Call Us – After leaving the house and reaching a safe environment, call the National Grid 24-hour gas emergency number for New England at 1-800-640-1595.
- Stay Out - Do not return to your home until National Grid tells you it is safe.
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