NEW: National Grid ‘Ready’ for Nor’easter, Tells Central MA to Prepare
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
The storm, dubbed Athena by The Weather Channel, is bearing down on Central Massachusetts, and the power giant wants residents to know it has been planning for the upcoming storm.
"We understand that our customers just endured Hurricane Sandy, and now, a week later, are faced with the prospect of another storm," said Kathy Lyford, vice president of New England Operations. "We started planning for this storm on Sunday and we are ready for it. We have crews in place and a plan that will allow us to quickly address any outage hot-spots."
Lyford went on to say that customers should be sure to keep National Grid's outage reporting number handy. That number is 1-800-465-1212.
Stay Safe Before, During and After the Storm
National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and
maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions do occur.
•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.
•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. A radio is a good way to stay in touch, as National Grid provides news media with timely information regarding service restoration efforts.
•If you plan to use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to only operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, 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 jeopardize crew safety.
•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.
•After the storm, be sure never to 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.
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