Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, has continued to make progress on restoration efforts following today’s wind and rain event.
As of 8:15 p.m. approximately 1,800 Unitil customers in the New Hampshire seacoast are without power, down from a system peak of approximately 11,600. Normal operations resumed in Massachusetts and in the Concord, New Hampshire region earlier today where wind damage was less severe. Crews will work to resolve any remaining public safety issues while restoring power where possible overnight, and fresh crews will be hitting the system in the morning to continue efforts.
“The majority of what is left in the Seacoast area are scattered outages of 50 or less customers apiece,” Unitil External Affairs Manager Alec O’Meara said. “As the larger possible pickups are completed, the restoration process slows, as fewer and fewer customers are brought on with each successive repair. However, conditions have improved since earlier today and crews will continue to work until all customers have been restored.”
Unitil’s outage map at Unitil.com/map is being updated regularly with estimated restoration times for specific outages throughout the region as crews work though the area. Customers who remain without power after their neighbors have been restored are urged to call Unitil customer service and report the outage again. Some of these customers may have service issues specific to their home and will require work by a private electrician before restoration can be completed. Once the work is complete, customers should call customer service so a crew can return and complete repairs.
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 unitil.com/map.
Customers experiencing outages should call 1-888-301-7700 or report online at unitil.com/report-outage.
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.
