National Grid Expects to Have 98 Percent of Massachusetts Customers Restored by End of Friday

WALTHAM, MA (09/01/2011)(readMedia)-- On day four of the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, National Grid continues to make significant progress in restoring power to affected customers in Massachusetts, with approximately 89 percent of customers back online. The company estimates that 98 percent of the remaining customers will be restored on Friday, with full restoration completed on Sunday in pockets where damage was particularly extensive.

As of 7 p.m., more than 397,000 of the 427,000 Massachusetts customers affected by Hurricane Irene have now been restored, with roughly 29,000 still without service. This equates to roughly two percent of the roughly 1.2 million electricity customers National Grid serves in Massachusetts.

Thousands of personnel continue to work around the clock on the restoration process, including National Grid employees and crews from as far away as Texas, Colorado, Canada and Florida. Hundreds of poles, transformers, cross arms and service lines that connect to customers' homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by Irene. Since the start of the storm, National Grid's New England Customer Service Center has fielded a record-breaking number of calls -- nearly 600,000 since the start of the storm.

"We're doing everything we can to restore our customers as soon as possible," said Ellen Smith, National Grid chief operations officer. "Once crews complete their work in a particular area they immediately move to another affected area. Additional crews from as far away as Canada and Florida continue to arrive to help with the restoration."

Nearly six million customers up and down the eastern seaboard lost power in Irene's wake.

Important Safety Information

If you use a generator, make sure your wiring system is disconnected from our system before operating the generator. This is necessary to prevent your generator's electricity from going back into our system, which could endanger the lives of line crews and your neighbors. Be sure to only use generators outdoors. Exhaust fumes contain poisonous carbon monoxide and can kill or cause serious injury.

If your home is flooded:

• Check with an electrician before turning on anything.
• Do not turn off the gas meter even in the event of an evacuation. The gas meter should be left on to maintain proper pressure in the gas piping within the house and to prevent water from entering the lines should flooding occur.
• Most gas appliances have safety valves that shut off the flow of gas automatically if the pilot light goes out. If your appliances have been in contact with water, please contact a licensed plumbing or heating contractor to make sure the appliances are safe to operate.
• If we shut off your gas service for safety reasons, we will provide instructions on steps required to safely restore service. Don't forget to check outdoor appliances, such as pool heaters and gas grills.

Log on to www.nationalgridus.com for more information on how to stay safe after Irene.

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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