Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is responding to multiple outages and working to address public safety hazards as a long-duration nor’easter continues to affect the region.
As of 12 p.m., approximately 16,200 customers were without power. Of those, 15,200 customers were in Unitil’s service territory in Massachusetts and just over 1,000 were in New Hampshire.
The late-winter storm is bringing a mix of heavy, wet snow, rain and gusty winds to the area with impacts expected to linger into Wednesday. While some areas experienced rain at the onset, colder air filtering into the region switched the rain over to snow in many locations with significant accumulations of over a foot of snow being reported in higher elevations, particularly in Unitil’s service territory in Fitchburg, Mass.
The system is expected to drop anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of snow with higher amounts in some spots. Forecasters are also calling for strong winds with gusts of up to 45 mph and over 50 mph along the New Hampshire Seacoast.
Heavy snow building up on otherwise healthy trees can result in broken branches, causing damage to the electrical system. In addition to the snow hazards, the stronger winds are expected to move into the area this afternoon, which could lead to additional outages.
“We have multiple locations with wires down, especially in Massachusetts, and our crews have been working closely with first responders to address safety issues as they work to restore power when possible,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “With the storm continuing to bear down on the region, travel conditions are expected to remain difficult throughout the afternoon and evening. We encourage people to follow the guidance of local officials, avoid travel if they can and stay safe.”
Unitil opened its regional and system Emergency Operation Centers early this morning to better coordinate its response to any impacts to the electrical system. Additional third-party crews were secured in advance of the storm to support Unitil’s crews with power restoration efforts.
Snowy conditions have the potential to take wires to the ground. 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 line 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 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 1-888-301-7700 or report online at unitil.com/report-outage.
