WALTHAM, MA - National Grid is prepared for a coastal storm to hit New England today. The storm is expected to bring heavy rains, strong winds, and the potential for coastal flooding beginning this afternoon and continuing into Wednesday.

The primary concerns associated with this storm are severe winds, which have the potential to damage trees and knock down power wires, causing widespread power outages.

“We’ve been closely monitoring this storm and have secured additional overhead and forestry crews as part of our emergency response plan,” said Michael McCallan, Vice President of New England Electric Operations.  “In the event of a power outage, our crews and support teams will be working for as long as needed to restore service as quickly as conditions allow.”

National Grid has nearly 2,411 field-based personnel as part of our emergency response operations across New England. This includes overhead line, forestry, contractors, underground, damage assessment, wires down, transmission, and substation workers.  This also includes more than 398 external line crews and 246 external forestry crews we’ve secured to assist with the effort.  Crews are in place and ready to respond.

The company has been preparing for the storm for several days, and is continuing to monitor the weather, communicating with local officials, first responders, and life support customers.

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
• Make sure we have your current email address and phone number on file. This helps us reach you with important updates regarding storms or outages. You can update your contact information at ngrid.com. Click on sign in/register.
• 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
  • SUM followed by your town, county, or state to get a summary of outages in your area
  • HELP for the full 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 especially good 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 period.   

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. 
• 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. 

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 number: New England: 1-800-640-1595
• Stay Out - Do not return to your home until National Grid tells you it is safe.

Additional safety information may be found at https://www.nationalgridus.com/MA-Home/Storm-Safety/

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.