WALTHAM, MA (01/18/2011)(readMedia)-- National Grid is ramping up for the third storm this season as an icy wintery mix moves into central Massachusetts today. The company is adding additional crews, planning to deploy them to key areas of its service territory, readying trucks and other resources and communicating its plans to municipal officials throughout the region. More than 350 crews will be working in the state.

"We have been monitoring and planning for this third weather event for a couple days now and will be ready for what Mother Nature brings our way," said Christopher E. Root, National Grid senior vice president of Electricity Operations. "Extra crews are being pre-staged throughout the area. We are watching Worcester and points west with particular concern as appreciable icing is expected in that region. We are taking action now to be able to respond quickly and safely to potential outages that could occur in order to minimize the duration of outages."

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. National Grid urges customers to make safety a priority.

Icing 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.

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.

Post National Grid's emergency outage reporting number, 1-800-465-1212, near your telephone so it will be handy if needed.

People should consider any downed wire they see to be live and dangerous. If you see any fallen lines, broken poles or trees touching wires, please contact the company.

Customers with generators should be sure to install them outside to avoid deadly carbon monoxide. Open windows are inadequate for safely ventilating a generator. To ensure safety, operate generators only outdoors. Before installing generators, be sure to disconnect from National Grid's system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel.

Lastly, National Grid urges motorists to use extreme caution when driving near utility crews at work.

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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Posted Tuesday January 18, 2011 at 02:09 pm by National Grid US
Last Updated Tuesday January 18, 2011 at 02:11 pm