Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is preparing for potential impacts from a winter snow storm expected to impact the area tonight and throughout tomorrow.
According to the most recent forecast, as much as 4-9 inches of snow are possible in all service regions, with at least a portion expected to fall with a wet consistency. Wet, heavy snow can stick to surfaces and weigh down trees and branches, which in turn can lead to outages. Additionally, driving conditions are expected to remain difficult throughout the day Tuesday, creating the potential for outages caused by motor vehicle accidents.
“We saw a number of outages caused by motor vehicle accidents throughout the weekend as snow fell off and on and created slick roads,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “With additional snowstorms in the forecast throughout the week, we urge drivers to take their time and remain safe while getting to their destination.”
Unitil will be closely monitoring conditions as they unfold throughout the event and will be prepared to respond should outages occur from motor vehicle accidents or other issues caused by the storm. We recommend our customers prepare similarly by checking and making an inventory of the following items:
- Flashlights and fresh batteries
- Portable chargers and supplemental batteries for mobile devices
- Bottled water, canned foods and a manual can opener
- A first aid kit.
Heavy wet snow has the potential to damage trees and to take wires to the ground. We urge people to always assume all fallen or dangling cables and wires are energized and stay away. Be sure to avoid wet ground or puddles near a downed lined, as 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.
