National Grid Field Force Remains Active As High Winds, Rain Continue Across Central NY

CONTACT: Virginia Limmiatis    315-452-7708

A National Grid field force remains active across Central New York, removing downed wires, trees, tree limbs, broken poles and other hazards, focusing on public safety and restoring power to customers impacted by the ongoing, powerful storm that began Thursday evening. Throughout the day, the company restored power to 71,000 of the nearly 100,000 customers impacted in the region, which encompasses the North Country, the Syracuse/Cortland areas and the Mohawk Valley.

Given the significant damage to trees and equipment, combined with new outages from the sustained storm, crews will continue working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible in challenging conditions.

In many instances, crews cleared lines and re-energized customers only to have lines damaged again by branches breaking under the stress of new winds or previous damage. Additionally, flooding in some of the hardest hit areas continues to significantly impact access and impede restoration work. Along with fighting these conditions, crews are working on clearing main and side roads of trees and other damage, including 60 broken utility poles.

“While our crews are making solid progress in restoring customers, this storm continues to impact our gas and electricity network,” said Melanie Littlejohn, National Grid’s New York vice president. “Under these conditions, it is likely that some customers could remain without service well into tomorrow. Our crews will continue out there in full force restoring customers as quickly as possible.”

Flooding challenges gas service in the Mohawk Valley

Heavy rains have caused major flooding in several areas across the state. Hardest hit are Whitesboro, Utica, Dolgeville and Little Falls in the Mohawk Valley, where 240 National Grid customers have been impacted. The process for gas service restoration is complex, involving door- to-door visits to each customer. National Grid first must turn off the customer’s gas service to test the system.  From there, repairs are made. The company’s gas technicians then restore service, test lines and relight customers’ appliances. Restoration for affected customers is expected to be complete in most areas as soon as safely possible.  The restoration process has been hampered by standing water in some locations and crews will be unable to gain access until the flood waters recede.   

National Grid continues to work closely with local officials to coordinate restoration efforts.  Customers are reminded to remain aware of potential safety hazards such as damaged trees, particularly broken limbs that haven’t yet fallen to the ground. As always, all downed wires should be considered live and immediately reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 911.

Dry ice and bottled water offered Saturday at select locations

For customers who remain without service, National Grid is offering customers dry ice and bottled water at the following locations Saturday, at the hours noted below. Company personnel will provide information on the proper handling of dry ice, and customers are asked to bring a small cooler or shopping bag to transport their dry ice home.

Whitesboro Fire Department

171 Oriskany Blvd

Whitesboro, NY

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Scriba Fire Department

5618 NY-104

Oswego, NY

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Paul Smiths – Gabriel Volunteer Fire Department

68 State Route 86

Pauls Smiths, NY

Noon – 5 p.m.

Canton Fire Department

77 Riverside Drive

Canton, NY

Noon – 5 p.m.

Depauville Fire Department

15231 School Street

Depauville, NY

10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The Restoration Process

The company’s first priority is to ensure the safety of our customers and our crews by clearing away dangers such as live, downed power lines. Next come repairs to main transmission facilities, including towers, poles and high-tension wires that deliver power to thousands of customers. Recovery work at local substations also is a high priority, followed by repairs to neighborhood circuits, transformers and service wires. Click here for an infographic on the company’s restoration process.

National Grid continues to work closely with local officials to coordinate restoration efforts. Customers are reminded to remain aware of potential safety hazards such as damaged trees, particularly broken limbs that haven’t yet fallen to the ground. As always, all downed wires should be considered live and immediately reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or by calling 911.

As restoration work continues, National Grid continues to urge the public to be very cautious around downed wires and debris, and offers the following safety tips:

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 informed and connected:

• For real-time power outage information, online outage reporting, and in-depth storm safety information, visit National Grid’s Outage Central website. Customers who create an online profile also can 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. 
• Visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com, follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook.

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

About National Grid

About National Grid: National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, and find our photos on Instagram.