WALTHAM, Mass. — National Grid has over 3,000 field personnel responding to power outages caused by downed limbs, trees, and poles resulting from the heavy snow and strong wind gusts of the Nor'easter impacting Massachusetts today.  

 

The storm, expected to persist until Wednesday morning, is bringing heavy, wet snow in parts of the state and whipping winds with gusts as strong as 65 mph along the coast, causing damage and power outages in some locations. Some sections of Western and Central Massachusetts have received more than 12 inches of snow as of mid-morning Tuesday.

 

Field personnel in Massachusetts are responding to emergency 911 and wires down calls, assessing damage, clearing trees, and repairing electrical infrastructure where conditions are safe. This enables the restoration to proceed safely and efficiently and helps us restore power to customers more quickly. Once damage assessment nears completion, National Grid will provide more information on estimated restoration times.  

 

National Grid has restored power to more than 23,000 customers in Massachusetts since the storm's arrival Monday night. Restoration work is continuing as conditions are deemed safe.

 

Strong winds and challenging travel conditions may delay restoration efforts and the use of bucket trucks to complete repairs. 

 

National Grid has secured over 1,000 crews and more than 3,000 field-based personnel to respond to the storm. The company has brought in crews from nine different states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  

 

As of 10 a.m., approximately 36,000 customers in Massachusetts were without power. The hardest hit communities are located in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties as of mid-morning. National Grid always urges customers to stay safe and provides several ways to stay connected and up-to-date on the latest safety and restoration information.

 

The company continues to monitor the weather and communicate with local officials, first responders, and life support customers.

 

"Losing your power at any time is frustrating, and we're working hard to restore service as quickly and safely as possible," said Tanya Moniz-Witten, Vice President of New England Electric Operations for National Grid. "Our crews are deployed across the state and will continue to work to repair and restore the power systems until every customer has their electricity back." 

 

Customers can track outages and restoration times at www.nationalgridus.com/outage- central. It's normal for outage numbers and restoration times to fluctuate due to various issues, including work volume, the cause of the outage, and additional information about the extent of the damage. 

 

• Report power outages at www.nationalgridus.com or call 1-800-465-1212.
• Use your mobile device to track outage information and storm-related safety tips through
• National Grid's mobile site, accessible at www.ngrid.com/mobile.
• Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram; we post all the latest storm and restoration updates.
• Track outages and estimated restoration times at www.nationalgridus.com/outage-central
  • To stay connected during storms and outages, text to 64743 using any of the below commands.
  • REG to sign up for text alerts
  • OUT to report an outage
  • SUM followed by your town, county, or state to get a summary of outages in your area
  • HELP for the complete list of commands

 Stay Safe: 

• Never touch downed power lines, and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires. If you see one, report it immediately to National Grid or your local emergency response organization. 
• Power problems can sometimes interrupt public water supply systems or disable well pumps, so it's an excellent idea to keep a supply of bottled drinking water handy, as well as some canned food. 
• People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a life support customer, call the company's Customer Service Center at 1-800-322-3223. 
• Check on elderly family members, neighbors, and others who may need assistance during an outage.

• If you use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, disconnect from National Grid's system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could jeopardize the safety of line crews and the public. 
• If you lose power, turn off any appliances that were on when the power went off, but leave one light on so you will know when power is restored.  

• Get Out - All occupants should leave the house immediately. Do not use the telephone or light switches for any reason.
• Call Us – After leaving the house and reaching a safe environment, call the National Grid 24-hour gas emergency numbers:
• New England:1-800-640-1595
• Stay Out - Do not return to your home until National Grid tells you it is safe.