National Grid’s upstate New York field force of nearly 3,600 workers has restored power to more than 171,000 of the 208,000 customers impacted by the destructive storm that swept across the region Monday and Tuesday. The storm, which dumped up to 18 inches of snow in portions of Central, Eastern and Northern New York and included wind gusts up to 50 mph in some areas, caused significant and widespread damage to the company’s electricity delivery system. In addition to downed wires, trees, tree limbs and poles, crews have been challenged by impassable roads and difficult-to-reach equipment repairs in remote areas.

Some of the hardest hit areas were on the perimeter of Adirondacks: Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties all sustained major damage. Crews have been working around the clock since the storm began to clear away debris and restore power.

“This storm created hazardous conditions for our customers and crews,” said Matt Barnett, Vice President of New York Electric Operations. “It continues to take significant time to create safe pathways to the damaged infrastructure. We understand the inconvenience of being without power and our crews will be out there in full force bringing service back to customers as quickly and safely as possible.”

The company is providing the following general estimated times of restoration for customers who remain without service. Power is being consistently restored to customers in these regions and ETRs are updated on the company’s Outage Central site. Additionally, customers can check on the power restoration estimate for their specific address by logging into our Report or Check an Outage page.

Eastern New York:

• Essex, Montgomery, Otsego, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties: Restoration is expected to be completed by 11:30 p.m.* tonight.
• Fulton, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties: These remain the hardest-hit areas in eastern New York and restoration is expected to be completed by Thursday at 4 p.m.*

Central New York:

• Oswego, Onondaga, Cortland, and Chenango counties – restoration will be completed for the remaining small number of customers without power this evening.
• Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Clinton counties – restoration is expected to be completed by 11 p.m.* tonight.
• Oneida, Hamilton, Herkimer, and Madison counties – remain the hardest hit areas and restoration is expected to be completed by Thursday at 11:30 p.m.*

* Note: Isolated and scattered single outages will be restored into the evening and/or early morning

The company’s extensive resources, which include support from National Grid crews from Western New York and New England, as well as personnel from across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Canada, will remain in the region until the last outage is repaired.

Barnett added, “I want to extend my gratitude to the many police, fire, public works, municipal officials, and other volunteers who continue to support our customers and our communities during the post-storm recovery.”  

Dry Ice Locations

National Grid is offering customers dry ice and bottled water Wednesday, April 20, at the times and locations 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 it. The dry ice locations also can be found on National Grid’s Outage Central map.

Central New York Dry Ice and Bottled Water Locations:

Eastern New York Dry Ice and Bottled Water Locations:

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 a video on how National Grid restores power after a storm.

Estimated Restoration Times

• In the early stages of a storm, the restoration times on National Grid’s Outage Central site may be listed as “assessing conditions.” This is because debris such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires, must be cleared away so that damage to our equipment can be assessed and restoration plans can be executed. 
• It's normal for outage numbers and Estimated Restoration Times to fluctuate as we de-energize lines to make conditions safe for repairs. Additionally, there could be new outages that occur if strong, damaging winds continue.
• Outage Central Reminder: Our Outage Central page shows the estimated time of restoration for 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 Outage page.

The company is also encouraging customers to keep safety a priority with the following reminders:

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 working flashlights and an extra supply of batteries in your home and be sure to charge all electronic devices before the storm.
• Please use caution when driving near emergency responders and crews restoring power.
• Be sure to check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.

Stay informed and connected

• Customers with active electricity accounts who text ‘REG’ to 64743 can have personalized alerts sent to them via text, email, or phone call when we detect an outage on their properties.
• Customers also can text ‘OUT’ to 64743 to report an outage.
• 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.
• Customers can read the latest company news, check outage status, and report an outage by using the National Grid app.
• Visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com, follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook.

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.