Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is working closely with first responders to address wires down and public safety issues resulting from the major snowstorm that continues to impact the region.
As of 5:30AM 19,660 customers are without power, down from a peak of 20, 370, all in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. There are currently multiple reports of wires down issues due to the high volume of wet, heavy snow.
"Crews worked with first responders during the overnight hours to respond to public safety issues in very difficult travel conditions. Snow is expected to continue to fall and accumulate into the morning, meaning additional system damage is still possible."
Alec O’Meara, Unitil Media Relations Manager
Unitil secured additional crews from as far away as Canada in advance of the storm. A full complement of fresh crews will continue to focus on public safety, begin damage assessment and restore power where possible.
In the event of downed wires, assume all cables and wires that have fallen or dangling are energized and stay away. Be sure to avoid wet ground or puddles near a downed lined because water conducts electricity. In addition, keep away from all flooded and debris laden areas because they may be hiding downed lines. Stay in a safe place and avoid driving in damaged areas so you don’t interfere with rescue and restoration efforts.
Unitil will be communicating throughout the event through Public Service Announcements (PSAs), our website, our customer call center and through the media. We also encourage customers to follow along with our storm updates via Facebook, our Twitter feed (@Unitil) and we will be providing real-time outage information online at www.unitil.com/map.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR MEDIA: Unitil asks that when reporting outage information, outlets time stamp the information. Outage numbers change hourly and we wish to make sure the information customers receive is consistent and understandable. Re-Tweets and re-posting of old information without referencing a time can create confusion.
Customers experiencing outages should call the following toll-free numbers:
- For the NH Seacoast Area: 1-800-582-7276
- For the NH Capital Area: 1-800-852-3339
- For Massachusetts: 1-888-301-7700
You can also report outages online at unitil.com/report-outage.
