Unitil, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, expects to have power restored to its remaining customers in New Hampshire by the end of day today. Some single service issues may last into Thursday.
Unitil completed its restoration effort in Massachusetts during the overnight hours and has returned to normal operations in North Central Massachusetts. System and regional emergency operation centers will remain open in New Hampshire until power has been restored.
As of 5 a.m. Wednesday, approximately 2,900 of Unitil’s 104,000 electric customers are without power, down from a reported peak of 41,100 customers out at 11 p.m. Monday evening. Of those, approximately 2,800 customers are without power in the NH Seacoast region; 100 are out in the New Hampshire Capital region.
Damage in New Hampshire was more extensive, specifically in the coastal region of the state where Hurricane Sandy had its most devastating impact. Unitil expects to be complete in New Hampshire by end of day Wednesday, though some isolated pockets and single services may last into Thursday.
As power is restored, customers who remain without power after their neighbors have been restored may have a single service issue specific to their home. Customers who are still without power after their street has been restored should call customer service to make sure their outage is in the system. Some homes may require work by a private electrician before restoration can be completed.
“Our crews have done tremendous work over the past 48 hours restoring power during and after this unprecedented weather event, and I take my hat off to them,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “We ask customers to stay safe, and to remain a safe distance from our crews as they work to make a final push to bring power back on.
Unitil will be communicating throughout the storm and restoration 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 our Twitter feed (@Unitil) and 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 here.
