Unitil estimates that the majority of its customers will be back on by the end of the day today. Some individual service issues, as well as isolated pockets of customer outages may last into Wednesday. Crews will continue to blanket the affected coverage areas until power is restored to all customers.
As of 9:00 a.m. an estimated 6,723 of Unitil’s 103,000 electric customers system wide are reporting no power, down from a peak of approximately 70,000, which occurred overnight Saturday and into Sunday. Of those customers, an estimated 4,057 of Unitil’s 28,000 customers in Massachusetts are without power, down from a peak of roughly 24,000 customers and 2,666 of Unitil’s 75,000 customers in New Hampshire are without power, down from a peak of approximately 46,000.
“Our guys are tired, but today they continue to roll, street by street, block by block, to get power back on for our customers, and when they are done here they will be helping neighboring utilities before going home to their families,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “I can’t credit the crewmen in the field enough for the work they have put in on this event, and they ask for your patience as we begin to enter the closing phases of Unitil’s restoration effort.”
Approximately 300 crews, some from as far away as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Canada are working on the system in shifts around the clock to restore power. The crews, which range from traditional bucket trucks to civilian vehicles to a helicopter which flew the system to check off-road corridors, provide specialized work. They include line, tree, pole-setting, damage assessment and wires down teams.
Again, we urge customers still experiencing outages to 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
An improperly installed or positioned generator can cause exhaust, containing deadly carbon monoxide, to accumulate in your dwelling. Gas appliances that are not getting a sufficient supply of air can release carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas. Watch for things like yellow flames, flickering flames or soot that might indicate an appliance with a problem. Installing a carbon monoxide detector can help detect this odorless and colorless gas before it becomes a dangerous concern.
