Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, opened its System Emergency Operations Center this morning to coordinate response efforts as high winds and heavy rain impact the area.
According to the most recent forecast, heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 55 mph and possibly higher in some locations are expected to continue throughout the day. 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. Additionally, flash flooding may occur in some areas, causing damage and impacting regional travel.
As of 6:30 a.m., nearly 700 customers in Unitil’s New Hampshire service territories are without power due to wind impacts from the storm. Additional outages are possible while hazardous winds persist.
Due to the potentially serious nature of the storm, Unitil has secured a complement of internal and third party crews prepared to respond as the day unfolds. All system and regional emergency operation centers have been opened in order to best coordinate response efforts.
“We are expecting a long duration event, with hazardous conditions possible in our region for an extended period,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “We will be working with first responders to address public safety issues and restoring power where conditions allow as the highest winds pass through.”
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 are dangling are energized and stay away. Be sure to avoid wet ground or puddles near a downed line 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.
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/outage.
