Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is preparing for the potential for severe thunderstorms to pass through the area this afternoon and evening.
According to the most recent forecasts, severe thunderstorms may begin early this afternoon and could remain in the area through the early evening hours. Wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour are possible as part of this storm, as are rain amounts of 1-2 inches.
"These thunderstorms have the potential to deliver damaging winds in excess of other, similar storms we have already seen this season. We will be keeping a close eye on the forecast as the storms develop, as thunderstorms are fast moving, highly volatile events."
Alec O’Meara, Unitil Media Relations Manager
Currently, Unitil does not plan to open its system Emergency Operations Center, but additional crews have been secured for all locations and will be standing by during storm hours. Unitil will continue to monitor the storm’s track and intensity in the leadup to this storm and is prepared to escalate its response if warranted.
We recommend our customers remain similarly prepared by checking and making an inventory of the following items:
- Flashlights and fresh batteries
- A battery-operated radio and clock
- Bottled water, canned foods and a manual can opener
- A list of important phone numbers and a car charger for cell phones if applicable
- A first aid kit.
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
