Community Corner

National Grid Readies Extra Crews for Friday Wind Storm

Winds are expecting to reach as high as 50 miles per hour Friday in southern New England.

By Joseph Markman 

With heavy rain and wind gusts of 45-55 miles per hour expected Friday morning and into Friday afternoon, National Grid has boosted its response efforts.

The company "has secured additional crews that are ready for deployment to key areas of its service territory and has readied equipment in the event of weather severe enough to cause power outages," according to a press release.

"The company also is communicating its plans to communities and municipal officials throughout the region."

National Grid customers who experience outages should call National Grid’s outage line at 1-800-465-1212 to expedite restoration. The company also encourages customers to keep in touch throughout the storm by texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743), and following National Grid on TwitterFacebook and its new U.S. Connecting website.

Tips from National Grid for Wind Safety and Wires Down

  • Strong winds can cause local electrical 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.
  • Check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage period.
  • People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a National Grid life support customer, call the company’s Customer Service Contact Center at 1-800-322-3223.
  • People should consider any downed wire they see to be live and dangerous. If you see any fallen lines, broken poles or trees touching wires, please stay clear of the surrounding area and contact National Grid immediately.
  • Customers with generators should be sure to install them outside to avoid deadly carbon monoxide.  Open windows are inadequate for safely ventilating a generator.  To ensure safety, operate generators only outdoors. Before installing generators, be sure to disconnect from National Grid’s system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel.
  • Finally, note National Grid’s emergency outage reporting number, 1-800-465-1212 and keep it handy.  Reporting outages as soon as possible helps expedite restoration.

Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here