National Grid Urges Safety As Snow, High Winds Are Forecasted For Portions of Upstate New York

Crews and equipment to be mobilized in the event of power interruptions

With snow and strong winds in the forecast for large portions of upstate New York, National Grid is increasing its evening and weekend staffing. The company is prepared for the upcoming weather and provides the following safety tips so customers can be prepared as well.

Electricity & Generator Safety

• If a power outage occurs, customers can notify National Grid online to expedite restoration.
• Never touch downed power lines; always assume they are carrying live electricity. Downed lines should be immediately reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 911.
• Generators used to supply power during an outage must be operated outdoors to prevent the buildup of deadly carbon monoxide. Before operating a generator, be sure to disconnect from National Grid’s system by shutting off the main breaker, located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could endanger our crews and your neighbors.
• Customers who depend on electrically powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should register as a life support customer by calling National Grid at 1-800-642-4272. (In a medical emergency, always dial 911.)
• Keep a number of working flashlights and an extra supply of batteries in your home and be sure to charge all electronic devices.
• Please drive carefully and use caution when driving near any crews working to restore power.
• Be sure to check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.

Stay Connected

National Grid offers several ways to stay informed and safe – before, during and after a storm:

• For real-time power outage information, online outage reporting, and in-depth storm safety information, visit the Outage Central section of our website, nationalgridus.com.
• Customers who create an online profile on our website can also sign up for email alerts.

 To receive text message alerts and updates from National Grid, text the word STORM to NGRID (64743).

• Online and text alert services can be started and stopped at the customer’s request.
• Other ways to stay in touch:

  • Visit our website: nationalgridus.com
  • Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nationalgridus
  • Friend us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/nationalgrid

Click here for a video on how National Grid restores power after a major storm.

A Reminder on Estimated Restoration Times

• Immediately after a storm, restoration times on National Grid’s Outage Central site may be listed as “assessing conditions.” That’s because safety hazards, such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires must be cleared away so that infrastructure damage can be assessed and restoration plans can be executed. This video and the infographic below describe our restoration process.
• It's normal for outage numbers and ETRs to fluctuate. The numbers can go up and down as an ongoing storm causes new outages and/or as we de-energize lines to make conditions safe for repairs and restoration. Additionally, there could be new outages that occur that are separate from storm-related outages.
• Outage Central Reminder: Our Outage Central page shows the estimated time of restoration for entire communities and reflects the estimated time for the last customer in that community to have power restored. The most accurate way for customers to check on the power restoration estimate for their specific address is to log into our Report or Check an Outage page.

How National Grid Restores Power