Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, has opened its emergency operations center in response to high winds forecasted to impact the region over the next 12-18 hours.
According to the most recent forecasts, wind gusts of 45-60 miles per hour are possible in all regions all day today and into the late evening hours. Gusts of this level not only have the potential to cause outages by pushing trees onto electric infrastructure, but can also delay restoration efforts for safety reasons.
As of approximately 6:00AM, only 8 Unitil customers are without power due to the ongoing windy conditions. Outage totals are expected to fluctuate throughout the day today due to the extended duration of the expected wind. Unitil has secured additional crew resources from as far away as Canada in advance of the wind to aid with what is expected to be a fluid situation throughout the day today.
At issue here is the sheer length of the event. Crews may restore power in one location only to see new issue crop up behind them as winds continue. While we will be restoring power where we can and when it will be safe to do so, assuring both the public’s safety and the safety of our own crews will be a heavy focus while this wind event is ongoing."
Alec O’Meara, Unitil Media Relations Manager
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.
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
