National Grid crews have worked tirelessly over the past two days to restore power to 230,500, or 98%, of the nearly 234,500 upstate New York customers impacted by damaging snow and windstorm that caused significant and widespread damage across Central, Eastern and Northern New York. Up to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow fell on some portions of the region, accompanied by wind gusts of up to 50 mph, leaving in its wake hundreds of broken utility poles, damaged transformers, toppled trees, tree limbs and downed wires.

“Our field force has endured challenging weather and road conditions to safely restore power to our customers, and we thank every one of them for their professionalism and commitment,” said Matt Barnett, National Grid’s Vice President of New York Electric Operations. “Crews will remain in the field completing the labor-intensive repairs until the last outage is restored.”

Barnett also expressed his thanks for first responders and local community support. “We are grateful for the many police, fire, public works, municipal officials, and other volunteers who continue to support our customers and our communities during the post-storm recovery.”

National Grid provides the following estimated times of restoration for customers who remain without service. Power is being consistently restored in these regions and ETRs are updated on the company’s Outage Central site. Additionally, customers can check on the power restoration estimates for their specific addresses by logging into our Report or Check an Outage page.

• In Central New York, including the Mohawk Valley, more than 95% of customers impacted by the storm have had their power restored. Single-customer and isolated pockets of outages will be resolved in the late evening and early morning hours.
• In Eastern New York, more than 95% of customers impacted by the storm have had their power restored. Single-customer and isolated pockets of outages will be resolved in the late evening and early morning hours.

“We recognize that some customers have been without service since Tuesday,” Barnett said. “We thank them for their patience and understanding as we continue to reduce the remaining outages minute-by-minute and neighborhood-by-neighborhood.” 

Customers who are without power when their neighbors have been restored are encouraged to call National Grid at 1-800-867-5222.

Once restoration has been completed, National Grid crews will remain in the field for the days that follow to complete storm cleanup. The company reminds motorists to use caution as they approach work areas, to ensure the safety of utility and other storm-response personnel.

Stay informed and connected

• Customers with active electricity accounts who text ‘REG’ to 64743 can have personalized alerts sent to them via text, email or phone call when we detect an outage on their properties.
• 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 sign up for email alerts.
• Customers can read the latest company news, check outage status and report an outage by using the National Grid app.
• Visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com, follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook.

Electricity & Generator Safety

• 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.

Please use caution when driving near emergency responders and crews restoring power.

About National Grid

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, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, and find our photos on Instagram.