NEW: National Grid ‘Ready’ for Nor’easter, Tells RI to Prepare
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
National Grid says it's ready for this afternoon's storm, and cautions Rhode Islanders to prepare. Photo: National Grid.
More than 500 National Grid and supplemental line and tree crews are available and ready to respond quickly to any storm-related outages, along with more than 200 “wires-down” personnel. The company’s emergency response system has been activated and is closely watching the storm track so that crews can be deployed quickly to any areas that may be hard- hit by the impending nor’easter.
Another Storm After Enduring Hurricane Sandy
“We understand that our customers just endured Hurricane Sandy, and now, a week later, are faced with the prospect of another storm,” said Kathy Lyford, vice president of New England Operations. “We started planning for this storm on Sunday and we are ready for it. We have crews in place and a plan that will allow us to quickly address any outage hot-spots.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLyford went on to say that customers should be sure to keep National Grid’s New England outage reporting number – 1-800-465-1212 – handy in case of an outage. She added that it is important to call National Grid if power does go out, since some outages affect only one or a few customers. Calling the outage number will expedite restoration of service.
National Grid’s Emergency Planning team has been working with state and local officials to ensure a coordinated response, and National Grid will provide regular, timely updates for the public. Life support customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who have registered with the company have been called, alerted to the potential for severe weather and advised to take appropriate precautions.
Stay Safe Before, During and After the Storm
National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions do occur.
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.
- It’s a good idea to have a number of working flashlights, at least one battery-operated radio and an extra supply of batteries in your home. A radio is a good way to stay in touch, as National Grid provides news media with timely information regarding service restoration efforts.
- If you plan to use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to only operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, 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 jeopardize crew safety.
- 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.
- After the storm, be sure never to 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.
Stay Informed and Stay in Touch
Customers should post National Grid’s toll-free New England emergency outage reporting number —1-800-465-1212—near a telephone so it will be handy if needed. Calling the company if you experience an outage can expedite restoration.
National Grid provides several ways for customers to learn about and report power outages during storms. To receive free text message alerts and updates, text the word STORM to NGRID (64743). E-mail alerts are available to customers who create an online profile on the company’s website. All alert services can be started and stopped at the customer’s request.
Customers can see real-time outage information and report an outage at www.nationalgridus.com in the Outage Central section of the company web pages. Customers also can access Outage Central by entering the web address on their mobile device.
National Grid also provides storm and restoration updates through Facebook and Twitter.
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