Unitil has completed the first phase of damage assessment and is estimating that the majority of its customers will be back on by Tuesday evening. Some individual service issues, as well as isolated pockets of customer outages may last into Wednesday.
As of 9:00 a.m. an estimated 34,908 of Unitil’s 103,000 electric customers system wide are reporting no power, down from an overnight peak of 70,000. Of those customers, 18,405 of Unitil’s 28,000 customers in Massachusetts are without power and 16,503 of Unitil’s 75,000 customers in New Hampshire are without power. The change in numbers from 4:30 a.m. reflect more accurate estimates from the completion of the first phase of damage assessment.
All Unitil customers in the Concord, New Hampshire area were restored as of 2 a.m., allowing resources in that region to be redeployed.
“Completing work in Concord prior to the completion of the damage assessment phase is great news for all of our customers,” Unitil Electric Operations Director Ray Letourneau said. “We are now focusing our efforts on two areas instead of three and, with our crews transitioning out of the damage assessment and public safety phase, this is truly the first full day where we will be attacking restoration head-on.”
Approximately 300 crews, some from as far away as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Canada are participating in the restoration effort for the areas hit hardest by the storm. The crews provide specialized work and include line, tree, pole setting, damage assessment and wires down teams. Crews worked overnight on damage assessment, restoring power where possible.
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
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.
