FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2013

CONTACT: Media Relations, 781-907-3981 (weekend)                                            

NATIONAL GRID EXPECTS MOST RHODE ISLANDERS TO HAVE POWER RESTORED BY LATE TONIGHT

Complete Restoration Anticipated for Monday Night

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – National Grid is adding to its already impressive army of line workers and tree crews in Rhode Island in its drive to restore electric service to all customers.  At the height of the storm, early Saturday morning, 187,000 were without power. Overall, 209,000 customers lost service as a result of the storm. As of 4 p.m. on Sunday the company had restored service to 167,000 of those customers. The overwhelming majority of customers will have their power restored by late Sunday night. Those customers in the most heavily damaged areas or locations where heavy snowfall and downed trees and power wires are slowing recovery will have their service turned back on during the day on Monday. The company is targeting late Monday night to have power restored to everyone.

“We deeply appreciate the tremendous patience and support shown by our Rhode Island customers,” said Timothy F. Horan, president of National Grid in Rhode Island. “During the day on Sunday and continuing into Monday we will have 400 line and tree crews in the state working to complete the restoration process.”

Because of continuing snowfall and the number of streets that were impassable, National Grid could not begin its full restoration effort until 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Customers Urged to Stay Safe

National Grid is urging customers to stay safe as the restoration continues.

“The storm has passed and the sun is out, but customers still need to be very careful if they are without power and as crews work in their neighborhoods,” said Kathy Lyford, National Grid vice president of New England Operations.  “Customers need to take special care if using alternative sources of heat to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Here are some important safety tips for electric and natural gas customers:

• If you 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.  Be sure to use other heat sources such as fireplaces and space heaters safely.

• If you lost 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.

• Never touch downed power lines, and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires.  If you see a downed power line, keep everyone away and call us immediately at 1-800-465-1212.

• 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.

• Please leave damaged poles alone. Handling or cutting utility poles—or burning them in your fireplace, woodstove or furnace—potentially exposes you to the chemicals used to treat and preserve these poles.

• Please drive carefully and use caution when driving near any repair crews working to restore power.

• Check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.

Natural gas customers also need to take precautions:

• Be sure to clear snow away from vents and exhaust ducts of appliances such as water heaters, ranges and clothes dryers.

• Use caution when removing snow from roofs to ensure it does not fall on and damage the gas meter.

• Never burn wood or coal in an indoor area without proper venting. Portable gas and charcoal grills intended for outside use should never be used indoors, or even inside an open garage.

• Never run a car in an attached garage, even with the garage door open.  Car exhaust contains carbon monoxide (CO) and is the leading cause of CO fatalities.

• Never use your gas range to heat your apartment or house. Your range's oven and top burners are designed to cook your food, not to heat your home. Prolonged use can reduce oxygen levels in the home and contribute to unusually excessive levels of carbon monoxide.

Customers Urged to Keep in Touch

In addition to Outage Central, National Grid offers a number of ways for customers to report outages or learn about restoration efforts and important safety information.  Here’s how:

• Outage reporting hotline – Massachusetts and Rhode Island customers can call 1-800 465-1212 to report an outage.

• Text messages – Customers can receive text message alerts and updates through a free service the company offers.  Text the word STORM to NGRID (64743) to sign up for the service. 

• National Grid uses social media – Facebook and Twitter -- to communicate with customers about service issues and interruptions during storms. 

• E-mail alerts are also available to customers who create an online profile on the company’s website.  All alert services can be started and stopped at the customer’s request. 

• Customers can use their mobile devices to track outage information and storm related safety tips through National Grid’s new mobile site that can be accessed at nationalgrid.com.

NATIONAL GRID

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up’.

In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country. 

National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

For more information please visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com. 

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