NEW: National Grid Says 30 Inches of Snow Possible with "Juno”, Preparing for Worst

NEW: National Grid Says 30 Inches of Snow Possible with "Juno”, Preparing for Worst

The National Weather Service is forecasting a long-duration storm of potentially historic magnitude, due to affect New England from Monday afternoon through early Wednesday. National Grid has announced that preparations to meet the challenges of possible widespread power interruptions are well underway.

The storm, named “Juno,” could drop as much as 30 inches of snow and bring wind gusts of 60 miles per hour to all of Rhode Island and parts of eastern and central Massachusetts.  High tides could also cause coastal flooding.  National Grid officials began preparing this weekend, and have mobilized in-house and contractor crews to help restore power as quickly and safely as possible as needed.

“With sustained periods of heavy snow, gale-force winds and blizzard conditions, this storm has the potential to cause severe damage to the electric system.  While we will be ready for whatevetr Juno brings, if the storm turns out to be as severe as the meteorologists are predicting, it could take several days to restore power to all of our customers,” said Dan Bunszell, National Grid’s vice president of New England Operations.   “We urge our customers to take this weather forecast very seriously and prepare accordingly so they can stay safe before, during and after the storm.”

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According to Bunszell, National Grid has:

-Pre-arranged shifts for approximately 185 internal line crews
-Issued requests for an additional 700 contractor crews from throughout New England and the eastern U.S.
-Requested the services of 380 contractor tree crews
-Made plans to staff six equipment and personnel staging areas strategically located throughout the area expected to be impacted 
            

National Grid is working through several channels to inform customers and state and local officials of the impending storm, what’s being done to prepare for it, and what they need to know and do. These include:

-Direct communication with state elected officials, state regulators, emergency management agencies, local and state police and the National Guard
-Scheduled conference calls with municipal officials for Monday morning to brief them on preparedness plans

National Grid advises customers to be prepared for service interruptions. They recommend having a number of working flashlights, at least one battery-operated radio and an extra supply of batteries in your home. 

National Grid customers in New England who experience outages should call National Grid’s outage line at 1-800-465-1212 immediately to expedite restoration.

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.

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