ALBANY, NY – National Grid’s Albany-area field force of more than 2,400 workers remains on the ground as they continue their around-the-clock cleanup and restoration efforts after a tornado, microburst, and winds of up to 100 mph swept through the region on Wednesday. Since then, crews have focused on public safety, while making steady progress in repairing damage and restoring service to more than 197,000 of the nearly 240,000 impacted customers.

The severe winds from these storms led to significant and very widespread damage across the Capital Region’s electricity network. The extensive cleanup and repairs include significant tree clearing, stringing/re-stringing miles of conductor, and removing and replacing more than 150 broken poles.

“Our crews will continue working around the clock and remain committed to our restoration efforts until the last outage has been restored,” said Matt Barnett, Vice President of New York Electric Operations. “We also are keeping an eye on weather forecasts, which call for high winds and thunderstorms in the region this weekend.”

Barnett noted that the most intense storm damage occurred in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Columbia, and Montgomery counties and offered the following estimated restoration times:

• Cobleskill, Gloversville, Hudson: tonight at 11:30 p.m., with scattered isolated pockets and single customer outages restored into Saturday.
• Albany, Schenectady, and Troy: Saturday, at 9 p.m., with scattered isolated pockets and single customer outages restored into Sunday. 

The most accurate way for customers to check on the power restoration estimate for their specific address is to log into the “Report or Check Outage” page on National Grid’s Outage Central site.

National Grid is offering customers dry ice, water-based ice, and bottled water at the locations below.  Company personnel will provide information on the proper handling of dry ice, and customers are asked to bring a small cooler or shopping bag to transport their dry ice home.

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 be immediately 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.
• Charge all electronic devices.
• 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.

Estimated Restoration Times

• In the early stages of a storm, restoration times on National Grid’s Outage Central site may be listed as “assessing conditions.” This is because debris such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires, must be cleared away so that damage to our equipment can be assessed and restoration plans can be executed. 
• It's normal for outage numbers and Estimated Restoration Times to fluctuate as we de-energize lines to make conditions safe for repairs. Additionally, there could be new outages that occur if strong, damaging winds continue.
• Outage Central Reminder: Our Outage Central page shows the estimated time of restoration for 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 Outage page.  

Stay informed and connected:

• Customers can receive personalized alerts by text, email, and/or phone when an outage is detected at their property by enrolling in the company’s outage alert option. To register, text REG to 64743, enter your National Grid electricity account number, and select your preferred method(s) of notification. Customers also can text OUT to 64743 to report an outage.
• 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 register to receive email alerts.

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.