Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is focused on damage assessment and handling public safety issues, such as downed wires. Communities can anticipate a multi-day restoration due to the severity of the damage. Estimated times of restoration will be provided after damage assessment is complete.
As of 2 p.m., approximately 19,340 customers are without power, down from a peak of approximately 33,715. Of those, approximately 145 customers are out in Massachusetts, with 6,015 in the Capital region and 13,180 on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. Unitil has secured additional resources from as far away as Canada. At this time we have more than 300 resources including line crews, tree crews, damage assessors and wires down personnel, supported by hundreds of Unitil employees.
Crews have blanketed the region assisting with public safety issues and restoring service to customers impacted by this powerful storm. If a customer has not had power restored by early evening, they should make alternate arrangements or seek shelter elsewhere. Crews will continue to work around the clock until all customers have power restored."
Unitil VP of Communications and Public Affairs, Carol Valianti
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.
Customers who use portable generators during power outages must do so safely. Otherwise, the result could be far worse than the loss of electricity: injury or death to you, someone else or a line worker.
An improperly installed or positioned generator can cause exhaust, containing deadly carbon monoxide, to accumulate in your dwelling. In addition, such generators can “backfeed” electricity into the distribution lines and electrical equipment, seriously injuring or electrocuting a line worker or anyone who may touch a now-energized line thought to be dead. More important safety messages on generator usage can be found online at Unitil.com.
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.
