Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, has opened its system and all regional Emergency Operations Centers in response to a major snowstorm currently impacting the area.
As of 8:30 p.m., no outages are reported on Unitil’s system. However, as much as 12-18 inches of snow is still possible in all regions, with at least a portion of the snow expected to be wet and heavy in consistency. Snow rates of 1-2 inches per hour are forecasted for the overnight hours, and wet, heavy snow can stick to trees and limbs, causing damage. Unitil has secured additional crews from as far away as Canada in advance of the storm and is prepared to respond to any public safety or restoration efforts during the overnight hours.
"During the peak hours of the storm, public safety will be the priority for crews due to the wet, heavy nature of the expected snowfall. Crews will still restore power where they can, but during the overnight hours we expect we will be working closely with first responders to address wires down issues and other public safety concerns."
Alec O’Meara, Unitil Media Relations Manager
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.
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.
