Unitil Corporation, (unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is preparing for a winter storm bringing heavy rain and strong winds into the region late Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day.
According to the most recent forecasts, the storm system could bring prolonged wind gusts in the range of 35-45 mph in all service areas. The system is expected to have a strong front, similar to a summer thunderstorm, with embedded winds that could reach up to 50-60mph for a period of time Christmas morning. Heavy rain, coupled with snowmelt from warmer temperatures could also result in isolated flooding. Wind gusts in excess of 55 mph have the potential to take down branches and upend trees, causing damage to the electric infrastructure.
"We are extremely mindful that this is a major holiday for families throughout our region and we have secured additional crews to aid in addressing outages should they occur."
Carol Valianti, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs
Based on current forecasts, Unitil plans to open its system and regional Emergency Operations Centers on Christmas morning. In light of the ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, Unitil proactively secured additional third party crews to bolster resources. Crews will be standing by in all regions, and Unitil will continue to monitor the forecast and is prepared to escalate its response further if conditions warrant doing so.
"We are extremely mindful that this is a major holiday for families throughout our region and we have secured additional crews to aid in addressing outages should they occur. The greatest current risk is associated with the strong front that will pass through the region Christmas morning. The path, strength, and duration of the front can have an enormous effect on this type of weather event’s impact," said Carol Valianti, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs.
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 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 here.
