Energy company, town officials expanding effort to identify and proactively address problematic areas

BOSTON, Mass. (November 4, 2021) – As part of its continuing efforts to improve storm response and enhance the safety of all the communities and customers it serves, Eversource is working to address significant tree issues in partnership with municipalities following storms. The energy company is proactively offering to help communities that experienced damage caused by the late October nor’easter and is working directly with the hardest hit towns, seeking their partnership to survey trees near electric lines and equipment, and proactively address hazardous trees and branches before they can cause future outages and public safety issues.

“With this latest nor’easter, we again saw that trees are the leading cause of electrical outages for our customers and can pose significant public safety issues like blocked roads and property damage,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager Paul Sellers. “Tree-related outages are labor intensive and time consuming to repair. Our crews continue to sweep the electric system following this storm, going street-by-street to assess and remove any tree threats, particularly around critical facilities like hospitals and police and fire stations.”

Eversource crews removed 2,100 downed trees and cleared more than 300 blocked roads during the storm response, and 25 crews continue to patrol power lines throughout Cape Cod, as well as the South Shore and South Coast of Massachusetts, for any broken trees or hanging branches that pose an immediate threat to the electric system.

Immediately following the storm, Eversource’s vegetation management team reached out to many of the hardest-hit communities to prioritize cleanup efforts, and provide crews and equipment to assist with tree and debris removal. For example, the energy company is working directly with Duxbury town officials to prioritize potential hazards and partnered with the Town of Falmouth to secure a Sennebogen, which is a specialized piece of machinery to assist with tree removal.

For details on the company’s comprehensive vegetation management program, please visit Eversource.com.

Photo caption: Crews remove damaged trees and branches along Ter Heun Drive in Falmouth, MA caused by late October nor’easter.

Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is the #1 energy company in Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2021 and recognized as one of America’s Most JUST Companies. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 1.8 million customers throughout Massachusetts, including approximately 1.45 million electric customers in 142 communities, 635,000 gas customers in 110 communities, and 6,700 water customers in two communities. Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 9,300 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 #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, 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 eversource.com, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.

CONTACT:
William Hinkle
603-634-2228
william.hinkle@eversource.com

Chris McKinnon
617-424-2108
christopher.r.mckinnon@eversource.com