National Grid Responding to Impacts of Blizzard
WALTHAM, Mass — National Grid has crews positioned across Massachusetts to respond to a powerful blizzard impacting the entire state today, bringing heavy snow, sustained and damaging wind gusts, and concerns about coastal flooding. While crews are ready to respond, severe weather conditions are expected to significantly impede restoration work throughout the day.
National Grid has mobilized more than 600 crews and support personnel across Massachusetts as part of its storm response, including line workers, forestry crews, damage assessors, and support staff. These resources are staged statewide and ready to respond as conditions allow.
The storm has already resulted in widespread power outages across Massachusetts and is expected to persist through Monday. Forecasts call for up to two feet of snowfall in some areas, sustained high winds, near?zero visibility at times, and extremely hazardous road conditions. Wind gusts have exceeded 70 mph in parts of the state, with snowfall rates reaching 1 to 3 inches per hour.
"These are extremely challenging and dangerous conditions for both the public and our crews," said Christopher Laird, Chief Operating Officer, National Grid New England Electric. "High winds, heavy snow, and poor visibility make it unsafe to perform many types of restoration work, including operating bucket trucks. While our crews are deployed and ready, weather conditions are expected to limit restoration efforts throughout the day."
Field personnel are prioritizing emergency response activities such as 911 calls and reports of downed wires. Full damage assessments, tree removal, and infrastructure repairs will begin as conditions allow. Sustained winds and poor road conditions may delay access to outage locations and slow restoration progress.
Once conditions improve and full restoration work can safely begin, National Grid expects to restore service to the majority of impacted customers within approximately three days, though restoration timelines will vary based on damage and access.
National Grid urges customers to remain off the roads during the storm. For those who must travel, please slow down and go around work zones and give crews the space they need to operate safely once restoration work begins.
Customers can track outages and restoration times at www.nationalgridus.com/outage-
The company offers the following tips and reminders:
Customers Should Stay Connected:
- 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
- STAT to get a status of your 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.
Electric Safety:
- 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.
Gas Safety:
- If you suspect a natural gas leak:
- 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.
Reminder: It's not safe to work in an elevated bucket during periods of increased wind gusts. Our line workers begin restoration work only when conditions are deemed safe.
Tags: National Grid,
