While the damage assessment phase is still ongoing, restoration progress has been made in all service territories during the afternoon hours Sunday.
As of 5:00PM, an estimated 44,438 of Unitil’s 103,000 electric customers system wide are reporting no power, down from an overnight peak of approximately 70,000. Of those customers, 17,050 of Unitil’s 28,000 customers in Massachusetts are without power and 27,388 of Unitil’s 75,000 customers in New Hampshire are without power.
Approximately 300 crews, some from as far away as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Canada have been secured to assist with what is expected to be a multi-day restoration effort for the areas hit hardest by the storm, such as north central Massachusetts and the New Hampshireseacoast area. 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. Crews worked overnight and throughout the day on public safety issues in coordination with municipal emergency responders, while restoring power where possible.
“We will have crews working through the night and fresh crews ready to go first thing tomorrow morning as well to continue restoration,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “However, we still expect this restoration to take multiple days and we urge impacted customers to make appropriate alternative plans to make sure they remain warm and safe for the duration of this event.”
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.
