Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, opened its system and regional Emergency Operations Centers at 6 a.m. this morning as a strong nor’easter is expected to bring heavy snow and gusty winds to the region throughout today and lasting into Wednesday.
As of 6:10 a.m., 580 customers were without power with the majority in Unitil’s Massachusetts service territory.
The storm moved in Monday night with snow and rain in parts of the region. According to the most recent forecast, 8-12 inches of snow and possibly more is forecasted with wind gusts that could approach 45 mph and over 50 mph along the New Hampshire Seacoast.
The consistency of the snow is expected to be heavy and wet, increasing the risk for power outages as it can build up on trees and cause branches to snap and bring down power lines. Deteriorating road conditions as the snow increases in intensity may also lead to treacherous travel, raising the possibility of outages related to motor vehicle accidents.
Unitil has opened its Emergency Operation Centers in order to coordinate its response to any impacts to the electrical system. In the days leading up to the storm, the company worked to bring additional third-party crews on board to support Unitil’s crews with power restoration efforts. Crews will work closely with first responders to address any safety hazards as they restore power when possible.
“This strong storm system will likely bring multiple hazards to our service territories over an extended period. The heavy, wet nature of the snow is always a concern, but the strong winds could also exacerbate the situation in cases where the snow doesn’t unload and continues to pile up on branches,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “Our crews are keeping a close eye on the rapidly changing conditions as the storm evolves and are ready to respond to any additional problems we may experience on our system.”
Wintry 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 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 or report online at unitil.com/report-outage.
