National Grid Crews Plow Through Power Outages As January Nor'Easter Pounds New England

WALTHAM, MA (01/12/2011)(readMedia)-- National Grid is plowing through its service restoration effort with an army of crews working to get power back on for thousands of customers as the second major winter storm pounds parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island with more than a foot of snow, high winds and blizzard conditions.

National Grid has nearly 600 in-house and contractor crews across the region today restoring service to more than 75,000 customers without service as of 10 a.m., which includes more than 25,000 customers in Plymouth County affected by a transmission line outage. Areas hardest hit include Plymouth, Bristol, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts. Additional crews have been called in to further assist in those areas.

National Grid is working closely with local and state public safety and emergency response officials to keep them informed and updated on service restoration activities and progress.

"This is the second major storm we are battling in less than three weeks. We want to assure our customers we have hundreds of crews out working to restore power outages as they occur, but we likely are looking at a multi-day effort for full service restoration," said Christopher E. Root, National Grid senior vice president of Electricity Operations. "We ask that our customers bear with us and be patient as our crews work in challenging weather conditions to restore service as safely and quickly as possible."

Tips To Weather the Storm

The company offers the following tips for customers that will minimize inconvenience and ensure safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions occur.

People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a National Grid life support customer, call the company's Customer Service Contact Center at 1-800-322-3223.

High winds and heavy wet snow can cause local electrical service interruptions. 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. Also, post National Grid's emergency outage reporting number 1-800-465-1212 near your telephone so it will be handy if needed.

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.

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.

After the storm, if your home is without power, call National Grid. If you see a downed power line on your street, report it to National Grid. Assume all downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Do not go near any wires you see on the ground and keep children and pets indoors until the problem is fixed.

Remember, just because you see lights on at your neighbor's house, doesn't necessarily mean that power has been restored. They could either be running a generator, or they could be on an underground service that wasn't affected by the storm.

When a portable generator is in use during a power outage, users must make sure the main circuit breaker in the electric service panel box is in the "off" position or, in older electric service panel boxes, that the main fuse block is removed. This is necessary to prevent the generator's electricity from going back into the power lines in the street and potentially endangering the lives of line crews and other emergency workers. Generator exhaust contains deadly carbon monoxide, so a gasoline or diesel-powered generator should never be run inside a house.

Injury Prevention Tips for Shoveling Snow

For those of us who have to shovel snow, National Grid offers the following tips: Warm up your muscles for 10 minutes with light exercise and pace yourself. Snow shoveling and blowing are aerobic activities. Take frequent breaks and prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of non-caffeinated fluids. If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath or other signs of a heart attack, stop shoveling/blowing and seek emergency care. Use a shovel that is comfortable for your height and strength. Do not use a shovel that is too heavy or too long for you. Space your hands on the tool grip to increase your leverage. Try to push the snow instead of lifting it. If you must lift, do it properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent, and back straight. Lift with your legs.

Snow Blower Safety Tips

Although a snow blower can help cut down the time and effort it takes to remove snow from areas such as driveways and sidewalks, never underestimate the hazards of operating a snow blower. Aways follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule and follow the owner's manual on safe operation. Do not disable your snow blower's operator presence control. Most snow blowers built since 1975 have an operator presence control (OPC) that causes the snow blower to stop when the user lets go of the controls. Read your owner's manual thoroughly and understand all of the recommended safety procedures before using your snow blower. Clear the area of doormats, sleds, boards, wires, and other debris that may be hidden by the snow. These objects could clog the chute, or otherwise cause damage. Never, ever put your hands inside the snow blower chute for any reason. If the chute becomes clogged with snow (or another object), turn it off, wait for all moving parts to come to a complete stop, disconnect the spark plug and then clear the chute with a stick. Never run when using a snow blower; only walk. Always be sure of your footing and keep a firm grip on the handles.

For those who have computer access, or who might be monitoring outages for someone else, National Grid provides real-time outage information, including the option to report an outage at www.nationalgridus.com in the Outage Central section of the company web pages.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.

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