NATIONAL GRID PLC - Another round of storms forecasted for this afternoon could cause additional outages
National Grid crews have worked through the night after a series of severe storm cells moved across portions of eastern New York Thursday evening. Crews, including about 500 line, service, tree, damage assessment and public safety workers, have restored power to about 34,000 of the 41,000 customers affected. National Grid anticipates most customers currently out of power will be restored by midnight tonight, with those in the hardest-hit areas restored tomorrow. Customers are asked to take safety precautions as potential storms this afternoon could cause additional damage.
The severe storms brought heavy wind gusts, hail and lightning that caused damage to trees and electric poles across the region, with some of the hardest areas in Columbia, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties.
'We have a full complement of crews that have been working through the night removing hazards such as downed trees, wires and poles and restoring power to our customers,' said Laurie Poltynski, National Grid's eastern New York regional executive. 'Our field force will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible on the clean-up and restoration efforts today as additional storms may pop up across the region.'
The Restoration Process
The company's first-priority is to ensure the safety of our customers and our crews by clearing away dangers such as live, downed power lines. Next come repairs to main transmission facilities, including towers, poles and high-tension wires that deliver power to thousands of customers. Recovery work at local substations also is a high priority, followed by repairs to neighborhood circuits, transformers and service wires. Click here for more details, including a video, on the company's restoration process.
National Grid continues to work closely with local officials to coordinate restoration efforts. Customers are reminded to remain aware of potential safety hazards such as damaged trees, particularly broken limbs that haven't yet fallen to the ground. As always, all downed wires should be considered live and immediately reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 911.
A Reminder on Estimated Restoration Times
- Immediately after a storm, restoration times on National Grid's Outage Central site may be listed as 'assessing conditions.' That's because safety hazards, such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires must be cleared away so that infrastructure damage can be assessed, and restoration plans can be executed.
- It's normal for outage numbers and ETRs to fluctuate. The numbers can go up and down as an ongoing storm causes new outages and/or as we de-energize lines to make conditions safe for repairs and restoration. Additionally, there could be new outages that occur that are separate from storm-related outages.
- Outage Central Reminder: Our Outage Central page shows the estimated time of restoration for entire communities and reflects the estimated time for the last customer in that communityto have power restored. The most accurate way for customers to check on the power restoration estimate for their specific address is to log into our Report or Check an Outage page.
The company also provides customers with the following safety reminders:
Electricity & Generator Safety
- If a power outage occurs, customers can notify National Grid online to expedite restoration.
- Never touch downed power lines; always assume they are carrying live electricity. Downed lines should immediately be reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 911.
- Generators used to supply power during an outage must be operated outdoors to prevent the buildup of deadlycarbon monoxide. Before operating a generator, be sure to disconnect from National Grid's system by shutting off the main breaker, located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could endanger our crews and your neighbors.
- Customers who depend on electrically powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should register as a life support customer by calling National Grid at 1-800-642-4272. (In a medical emergency, always dial 911.)
- Keep several working flashlights and an extra supply of batteries in your home and be sure to charge all electronic devices before the storm.
- Please use caution when driving near emergency responders and crews restoring power.
- Be sure to check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.
Stay Connected
National Grid offers several ways to stay informed and safe - before, during and after a storm:
- Customers can receive personalized alerts by text, e-mail or phone call when an outage is detected at their address, along with restoration estimates and associated updates. To enroll, text REG to 64743.
- For real-time power outage information, online outage reporting, and in-depth storm safety information, visit the Outage Central section of www.nationalgridus.com. Customers who create an online profile on our website can also sign up for email alerts.
- Online and text alert services can be started and stopped at the customer's request.
- Other ways to stay in touch:
- Visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com.
- Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nationalgridus
- Friend us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/nationalgrid
About National Grid: National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, and find our photos on Instagram.
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National Grid plc published this content on 03 July 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 03 July 2020 14:53:01 UTC
