Manchester, New Hampshire - Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) is keeping a wary eye on the weather forecast and preparing for power outages associated with an expected ice storm. The storm will impact the state overnight Saturday and into Sunday, with the possibility of damaging ice collecting on trees and wires in some portions of the state.
The latest forecast is calling for up to one-half inch of ice in some areas of the state, mainly north of the Concord area. That amount of ice will cause damage, by collecting on trees and bringing down limbs and branches onto electrical equipment.
PSNH has arranged for the deployment of additional line workers from its Northeast Utilities (NU) sister companies, NSTAR, Western Massachusetts Electric Company and Connecticut Light and Power to complement its own resources. Additional tree crews will also be deployed to work to help clear downed trees and branches from roads if necessary. NU is also providing two mobile communications trailers, which will be used to facilitate the deployment of crews in the field.
More than 250 additional NU line workers and support personnel, and about 300 additional tree workers will arrive in New Hampshire beginning early evening. They will join PSNH’s current New Hampshire-based force, which includes about 200 line workers, and about 200 tree workers. The Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has provided a parking lot to serve as the primary staging area to receive and deploy the additional NU crews.
“We are committed to responding quickly and effectively,” said Bill Quinlan, PSNH president and chief operating officer. “This storm certainly includes the possibility of inflicting serious damage on trees and infrastructure. But, our crews and those from other NU companies will be in position to get to work as soon as it is safe to do to restore power to all customers who are impacted.”
Be prepared – While electric utilities like PSNH work around-the-clock to restore service when power outages occur, it is also important that families and individuals consider how they will respond. “Our crews and support staff are prepared and ready to respond if outages do occur,” noted Terry Large, PSNH Director – Customer Operations. “It is vital that families and individuals also be prepared.” Large recommended that customers consider stocking up on useful emergency supplies, and those with emergency generators obtain fresh fuel. A list of preparedness tips and reminders is posted at www.psnh.com and at www.nh.gov/readynh/.
Generator Safety - Back-up/emergency generators can be very useful around your home or business. But, it’s critical to your safety and the safety of others, including PSNH electrical crews, that they be installed and operated properly. Guidelines are posted on the Safety section of our website.
Staying Informed – During power restoration efforts, PSNH uses a variety of communication tools to keep the public informed. Customers can follow PSNH on twitter @psnh or on Facebook for real time updates. PSNH also uses a news blog, www.psnhnews.com, to post press releases, outage updates, and other important storm related information. Customers can also access PSNH’s outage map to see up to date outage information about their community.
Community Liaisons – During major power restoration efforts, PSNH deploys a network of community liaisons to interact with local officials in every impacted community. PSNH reminds communities of the need to designate a single emergency management contact to work with our community liaisons.
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