BARNSTABLE – With the National Weather Service forecasting a long-duration storm of potentially “historic” magnitude to hit New England from this afternoon through early Wednesday, National Grid officials say their preparations to meet the challenges of possible widespread power interruptions are well underway.
The storm, named “Juno,” could drop as much as two feet of snow on Cape Cod and bring wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour to the region. High tides could also cause coastal flooding.
National Grid officials began preparing this weekend, and already have mobilized in-house and contractor crews to help restore power as quickly and safely as possible as needed.
“With sustained periods of heavy snow, gale-force winds and blizzard conditions, this storm has the potential to cause severe damage to the electric system. While we will be ready for whatevetr Juno brings, if the storm turns out to be as severe as the meteorologists are predicting, it could take several days to restore power to all of our customers,” said Dan Bunszell, National Grid’s vice president of New England Operations. “We urge our customers to take this weather forecast very seriously and prepare accordingly so they can stay safe before, during and after the storm.”
According to Bunszell, National Grid has:
- Pre-arranged shifts for approximately 185 internal line crews
- Issued requests for an additional 700 contractor crews from throughout New England and the eastern U.S.
- Requested the services of 380 contractor tree crews
- Made plans to staff six equipment and personnel staging areas strategically located throughout the area expected to be impacted
The company is also hard at work arranging for lodging and meals for the crews, and planning all of the other logistics required to manage the restoration effort efficiently and safely.
National Grid is already working through several channels to inform customers and state and local officials of the impending storm, what’s being done to prepare for it, and what they need to know and do. These include:
- Direct communication with state elected officials, state regulators, emergency management agencies, local and state police and the National Guard
- Scheduled conference calls with municipal officials for Monday morning to brief them on preparedness plans
National Grid advises customers to be prepared for service interruptions. It’s a good idea to have a number of working flashlights, at least one battery-operated radio and an extra supply of batteries in your home. National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions do occur.
- National Grid customers in New England who experience outages should call National Grid’s outage line at 1-800-465-1212 immediately to expedite restoration.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
