National Grid Field Force Grows to more than 3,250 Workers as Forecasts Call for Damaging Wind Storm Sunday and Monday

Upstate New York customers urged to keep safety a priority

In preparation for the potential for hurricane-force winds moving west to east across portions of upstate New York beginning Sunday morning, National Grid has increased staffing to include more than 3,250 line, service, tree, damage assessment and public safety workers. Crews are being prepositioned this weekend, particularly in western and central New York, where wind gusts off of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are forecasted to be in excess of 75 mph.

The company has activated its comprehensive emergency response plan, including:

• Calling in extra resources, mobilizing field and tree crews, and increasing staffing in our Customer Contact Center
• Pre-staging crews and materials in areas anticipated to be most severely impacted
• Initiating patrols to monitor our gas system for any impact from potential flooding
• Proactively reaching out to elected, municipal and emergency management officials to keep them updated on our preparations and provide safety information
• Reaching out directly to customers through traditional and social media, email and texts to provide safety information and to urge them to be prepared
• Conducting outbound calls to life support and critical facility customers to ensure they are prepared

In anticipation of the storm, 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 deadly carbon 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 a number of 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 informed and connected:

• For real-time power outage information, online outage reporting, and in-depth storm safety information, visit National Grid’s Outage Central website. Customers who create an online profile also can sign up for email alerts.
• To receive text message alerts and updates from National Grid, text the word STORM to NGRID (64743). Online and text alert services can be started and stopped at the customer’s request.
• Visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com, follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook.

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. This video and the infographic below describe our restoration process.
• 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 community to 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.

How National Grid Restores Power