WALTHAM, MA/PROVIDENCE, RI – National Grid has nearly 1,300 field personnel in Massachusetts and Rhode Island responding to power outages caused by downed limbs, trees, and poles resulting from a strong wind storm sweeping across the Northeast. The fast-moving storm delivered fierce winds and heavy rain, with some peak gusts reaching above 70 mph, leading to significant damage throughout New England. Although the winds and rain are subsiding, restoration efforts continue to be slowed by sustained high wind speeds throughout the region and even higher gusts. National Grid crews and contractors are unable to safely restore power while up in buckets during high winds. Due to these weather conditions, National Grid wants customers to know this will be a multi-day restoration event for some of them.

Approximately 935 field personnel in Massachusetts and 420 in Rhode Island are responding to emergency 911 calls, assessing the damage, clearing trees, and making repairs to electrical infrastructure. Objectives for day zero include responding to 911 calls and wires down calls, restoring critical facilities such as hospitals and first responder facilities, as well as performing damage assessment to get a detailed understanding of the scope, scale, and nature of the damage to the network.  This enables the restoration to proceed safely and efficiently and helps us restore power to customers more quickly. Once damage assessment nears completion, National Grid will provide more information on potential estimated restoration times.

“At National Grid, we recognize that losing your power at any time, and especially during the current pandemic, 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, National Grid VP of New England Electric Operations. “Hundreds of line and forestry workers are deployed across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, ready to repair and restore the power systems in affected communities as soon as it is safe to do so. We will not stop until every customer has their electricity back.”

Public safety is always the top priority. National Grid continues to collaborate with emergency officials to respond to 911 emergencies and wires down calls and restore critical customers, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and COVID-19 testing sites. The company is also collaborating with state and municipal leaders on a coordinated multi-day response effort that focuses on public safety and then restoration.

National Grid has restored power to more than 60,000 customers in Massachusetts and 17,000 in Rhode Island since the storm began early this morning. Restoration work is continuing as conditions are deemed safe. Peak wind gusts are still in the 30-40 mph range in some areas.

As of 8 pm, approximately 82,446 customers in Massachusetts and 20,060 in Rhode Island were without power. As always, 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.

Report or Check Outages

Customers can check or report power outages in the following ways:

• Log into the report/check outage page on National Grid’s website. This is the best way for customers to check the estimated restoration time for their specific address.
• Go to the National Grid app and click on “report outage.”
• Call 1-800-465-1212

Safety is a Priority

We urge customers to watch out for their own wellbeing and the safety of utility crews working during the storm. Here are some tips to help keep everyone 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.
• Information on National Grid’s pandemic preparedness and a customer Q&A can be found at www.ngrid.com/covid-19 
  
  

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 higher than 35 mph. Our lineworkers begin restoration work only when conditions are deemed safe.

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 and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.