Are You Prepared for Hurricane Season?

The company is ready and urges customers to prepare

BROOKLYN/LONG ISLAND, NY – With June signaling the official start to hurricane season, it is time to prepare for the possibility of service interruptions that can be caused by the severe weather generated by these storms. For National Grid, preparation for weather events and severe storms is a year-round commitment and the company urges customers to get ready for hurricane season too.

According to weather officials, the US can expect as many as 12 storms and two “named” major hurricanes during this year’s hurricane season, which lasts until the end of November.

“Given the unpredictable nature of New York weather, we constantly work to assure that our energy delivery systems hold up to the worst weather so that we can safely and reliably provide service to the customers and communities we serve,” said Michael G. McCallan, vice president of Emergency Planning and Business Resilience at National Grid. “Despite our best efforts along with robust investments in our system so that we can keep the gas flowing, outages can still occur with hurricane-force winds and flooding.”

Company preparedness

Throughout the year National Grid conducts numerous emergency exercises and drills that involve hundreds of employees in table-top and simulated, storm-related scenarios to gauge the company’s readiness. The company also conducts in-depth analyses of each major storm and refines its processes from lessons learned.

The company invests millions of dollars each year in its natural gas infrastructure to improve service and strengthen the systems against inclement weather.

Following the devastating storms that have struck New York in the past decade, the company expanded its network of contractors who can be called on to assist National Grid crews in restoring service following a storm. In addition, we have improved communications with emergency preparedness agencies, state police and state and local highway and public works departments to better coordinate the restoration process.

Additionally, this will be the first hurricane season that National Grid’s first responder app will be available to local emergency responders.  The company launched the smart device app last fall to allow first responders to take geographically-targeted photographs of damage to the company’s infrastructure and send an alert to the company.  It is expected that this new tool will aid restoration time.

What customers can do to prepare

Water, nonperishable food, first aid materials, prescriptions, flashlight, batteries and a battery-powered radio are critical items to have in an emergency supply toolkit. A well-thought-out emergency plan and a fully stocked toolkit could mean the difference between life and death. For a complete list of recommended items for your Emergency Supply Toolkit, visit here.

Gas Safety

Flooding caused by heavy rain and high tides can adversely impact the natural gas distribution system. National Grid asks customers to be alert for gas service interruptions caused by severe flooding.

If You Suspect a Natural Gas Leak, Call 911 or National Grid

• Call 911 or National Grid’s gas emergency number from a safe location:
• Long Island and the Rockaways: 1-800-490-0045
• Metro NY: 1-718-643-4050
• Stay out of flooded basements or standing water. Energized wiring and natural gas service below the water line may pose a hazard
• If flooding causes a loss of service and floodwaters have receded, contact National Grid and we will dispatch a service technician to your location as soon as possible
• For more storm information, go to com

National Grid provides a number of channels for customers to learn about service issues and interruptions during storms including updates through Facebook and Twitter.