National Grid Readies for Looming Nor'Easter and Offers Tips to Help Customers Stay Safe and Weather the Storm

WALTHAM, MA (01/11/2011)(readMedia)-- National Grid is preparing for yet another winter storm predicted for New England by 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.

"We will be ready for this storm and whatever it brings," said Christopher E. Root, National Grid senior vice president of Electricity Operations. "We have brought in extra crews, we are pre-staging people throughout the area, and we are in touch with our community leaders to reassure them that we are taking all the actions needed to be able to respond quickly and safely to the coming Nor'easter."

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.

Be prepared. The potential exists for high winds in coastal areas and heavy snow throughout much of eastern New England. 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.

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.

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.

If you see evidence of electrical system damage in your home such as sparks or broken or frayed wires, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, avoid the area, and call an electrician first for advice. Until the power comes back on, leave your refrigerator and freezer doors shut. Opening them will cause the temperature inside to rise and hasten food spoilage.

Time-Tested Plan Restores Power Quickly

When a power outage occurs in your neighborhood, it may in fact be affecting thousands of customers. Whose electricity is restored first?

National Grid emergency crews begin restoring service as safely and quickly as conditions allow. First, our crews clear away hazards such as live, downed lines. The clean-up of storm-damaged trees and branches removed from our electric facilities remains the responsibility of the customer or property owner, whether private or municipal.

Next come repairs to main transmission facilities, including towers, poles and high-tension wires that deliver power from generating plants. Recovery work at local substations is also a high priority, because power flows from transmission lines through substations on its way to you. Circuits and transformers in neighborhoods and the wires that connect them to your home come next-starting with areas that involve the most customers.

Please know that we're doing everything we can to restore electric service as quickly as possible.

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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