Unitil, (unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is preparing for the potential for a band of severe thunderstorms to impact the area later today and into tonight as part of a passing cold front.
According to the most recent forecast, heavy rains and wind gusts approaching 55 miles per hour are likely in all service regions as the front passes through, with higher gusts possible in more southern areas. Such winds have the potential to cause outages on the system, as otherwise healthy trees and branches may be brought down on lines, causing damage.
“The hot weather we’ve seen these past few days can serve as fuel for thunderstorms and has the potential to create severe storms and damaging winds as the front passes and the weather changes,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “We will be closely monitoring the front as it passes through, as conditions may change rapidly based on how the storm manifests.”
Unitil has proactively secured additional third party crews to bolster resources and is prepared to escalate its response further if conditions warrant doing so.
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.
The windy 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 lined 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.
"The hot weather we’ve seen these past few days can serve as fuel for thunderstorms and has the potential to create severe storms and damaging winds as the front passes and the weather changes."
Media Relations Manager, Alec O'Meara
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.
You can also report outages online at unitil.com/report-outage.
