National Grid : Prepares for Tropical Storm Henri to Hit New England Sunday

WALTHAM, MA - National Grid is preparing for Tropical Storm Henri to strike New England and bring heavy rains, strong winds, and the potential for coastal flooding into the region starting early Sunday and continuing into Monday. While currently a tropical storm, Henri could strengthen to a category 1 hurricane by the time it makes landfall.

The primary concerns associated with this storm are severe winds, heavy rain and flooding. The storm is expected to impact Rhode Island, Eastern Massachusetts, the South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands, which have the potential to damage trees and knock down power wires, causing power outages across the region. The worst of the storm is expected to pass by the end of day Monday and calmer weather is expected by Tuesday.

'As always, we're monitoring the forecasts closely and we're securing hundreds of additional crews to assist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to respond as quickly and safely as we can,' said Michael McCallan, Vice President of New England Electric Operations.

National Grid will continue to prepare for the storm and already has more than 2,700 field-based personnel as part of our emergency response operations. This includes overhead line, forestry, contractors, underground, damage assessment, wires down, transmission, and substation workers. Crews will be ready to respond by Saturday evening. 

The company has been preparing for the storm for several days, and is continuing to monitor the weather, communicating with local officials, first responders, and life support customers.

The company offers the following tips and reminders:

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 us 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.