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Massachusetts News
Local News
Eversource Focused on Public Safety as Crews Work to Assess and Clear Damage, Restore Power Following First Nor’easter of the Season
Oct 27, 2021
Electric system continues to take on damage as hazardous winds remain in forecast for this afternoon, energy company bringing additional external crews to the state
BOSTON (October 27, 2021) – With the first Nor’easter of the season bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the commonwealth that caused significant, widespread destruction, hundreds of Eversource line, tree and service crews are assessing and clearing damage to make hard-hit areas safe and restore power to customers. Since the beginning of the storm, crews have restored power to more than 129,000 customers and will continue working around the clock until all approximately 260,000 customers across the state without power as of 2:00 pm have it back. With parts of Massachusetts still experiencing hazardous wind gusts from this nor’easter and the potential for additional outages, particularly along the South Shore and Cape, the energy company will need to continue damage assessment before a global restoration time is available.
“This Nor’easter brought roaring winds with gusts upwards of 90 miles per hour to Massachusetts, causing widespread damage and outages in every region of the state,” said Eversource Vice President of Electric Operations Bill Ritchie. “The electric system continues to take on damage, and once the winds subside and debris is cleared from the roadways, we will be able to complete our assessment and have a clearer idea about a restoration timeline. Additional out-of-state crews will be arriving to support this massive restoration effort tomorrow and Friday, and our dedicated employees will not stop working until all of our customers in the commonwealth have power.”
In addition to the thousands of line, tree and service workers, damage assessors, troubleshooters and other support staff currently focused on restoration efforts in Massachusetts, Eversource continues to secure additional out-of-state crews – including Eversource crews from Connecticut and New Hampshire once restoration is complete there – as well as from Canada, who will be arriving in Massachusetts through tomorrow and Friday. The crews arriving tomorrow are in addition to external crews that were secured in advance of the storm and have been working today.s Bill Ritchie. “The electric system continues to take on damage, and once the winds subside and debris is cleared from the roadways, we will be able to complete our assessment and have a clearer idea about a restoration timeline. Additional out-of-state crews will be arriving to support this massive restoration effort tomorrow and Friday, and our dedicated employees will not stop working until all of our customers in the commonwealth have power.”
Customers should be cautious when starting their own storm clean up – be careful moving or cutting tree limbs, look for any wires that may be entangled in debris, assume all downed wires are energized and report them immediately to 911. Customers who are without power and using a generator should be sure the generator is located well away from their home or business and that the transfer switch is working properly.
Also, flooding can cause damage to a home furnace or other natural gas appliances and some natural gas heating systems may be affected in the event of a power interruption. Customers who smell gas should leave their home immediately, call 911 from a safe place, and call 800-592-2000 in Eastern Massachusetts or 800-525-8222 for former Columbia Gas customers.
Eversource urges customers to always stay clear of any downed wires and to report them immediately to 911. Be sure to report any outage online at Eversource.com, or by calling 800-592-2000 in Eastern Massachusetts and 877-659-6326 in Western Massachusetts.
Photo caption: Tree crews working on Quinaquisset Avenue in Mashpee.
Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, Eversource is the #1 energy company in Newsweek’s list of America's Most Responsible Companies for 2020 and recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies and the top utility by Forbes and JUST Capital. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 1.8 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.5 million electric customers in 139 communities, nearly 300,000 gas customers in 51 communities, and 19,800 water customers in five communities. Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 8,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally-recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit our website (www.eversource.com) and follow us on Twitter (@eversourceMA) and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceMA). For more information on our water services, visit www.aquarionwater.com.
CONTACT:
William Hinkle
603-634-2228
william.hinkle@eversource.com