With the peak hours of the storm now having passed, damage assessors are prepped to begin the next phase of restoration following last night’s historic snowstorm.
As of 4:30AM an estimated 64,288 of Unitil’s 103,000 electric customers system wide are reporting no power. Of those customers, 21,066 of Unitil’s 28,000 customers in Massachusetts are without power and 43,222 of Unitil’s 75,000 customers in New Hampshire are without power. These numbers may continue to fluctuate until the winds subside.
“Part of an effective, efficient restoration effort is a comprehensive assessment of the damage to the system,” Unitil Emergency Management Director Rich Francazio said. “Once damage assessment is complete, we will have a clear picture of how long it will take to restore power.”
Unitil has secured approximately 300 additional crews from as far away as Pennsylvania and Michigan including line crews, tree crews, damage assessors and wires down personnel supported by hundreds of Unitil employees to respond to storm damage. We ask for our customers’ patience and understanding as we work to ensure public safety, assess damage and restore power. We will provide regular updates to local media outlets, online and via Twitter regarding progress. Town-by-town outage information is available on Unitil’s outage center at http://www.unitil.com/outage-center/outage-information-chart .
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
Important Safety Reminders
- Downed wires continue to remain a chief hazard due to the unique conditions caused by this storm. Stay clear of fallen or sagging power lines and treat all lines as if they are 'live.' Avoid wet grown or puddles, as well as metallic objects near a downed line because water and metal conduct electricity. In addition, keep away from all flooded and debris laden areas because they may be hiding downed lines. Stay away from downed trees or poles, and report this situation immediately to Unitil at the Customer Service numbers below.
- Emergency generators can be a helpful tool by providing electricity during a power outage. However, improperly installed generators can energize lines outside your home believed to be inactive by technicians, resulting in serious injury or even death. The back-up generator should be installed to receive power from either your utility or the generator, but never both at the same time.
- It is important to ensure that generators are located outside and have appropriate venting because generators exhaust carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, silent odorless gas. Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home and be alert to the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which are sudden nausea, cherry red lips or headaches. If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, leave the area to get fresh air. For more generator safety tips, visit www.unitil.com.
