NSTAR Crews Responding to Early Damage and Power Outages

The following is a press release sent by NSTAR at 2:30 p.m.:

As Hurricane Sandy began to impact Massachusetts late this morningNSTAR crews and contractors began their response to outages across the region. The company is bracingfor significant damage and power outages as the storm moves across the area. 

In advance of the storm’s arrival, the company opened its emergency operations center this morning andstaffed its regional work centers across the state. Approximately 1,200 contract personnel from as faraway as Texas and the Midwest are assisting NSTAR’s 3,000 employees in their efforts. These crews arealready hard at work and will remain at the ready as the storm progresses.

NSTAR’s call center is fully staffed and ready to field customer calls. If a customer loses power, it isimportant they report their outage at once to NSTAR. Customers can report outages by calling 1-800-592-2000 or through www.nstar.com.

Safety Reminders – With the forecast calling for continued heavy rains and high winds, downed linesare a major safety concern. Customers are reminded to stay away from downed wires and assume anydowned line is live and dangerous. Downed lines should be reported to NSTAR immediately at 1-800-592-2000.

NSTAR reminds customers that it is critical for their safety and the safety of line workers who willrepair the electrical system that portable generators be installed correctly. To protect line workers, agenerator should only be attached to the house wiring and completely isolated from the utility supply.Without proper isolation, power that is being generated through the home could also feed into theNSTAR electrical system, causing an unsafe situation for both line workers and neighbors. Please takecare when installing a portable generator. For more generator safety tips, visit www.nstar.com and clickthe “generator safety” link on our homepage.

Staying Informed – During major power restoration efforts, NSTAR uses a variety of communicationtools to keep the public informed. Customers can follow NSTAR on Twitter @nstar_news or onFacebook for real time updates. Customers can also access NSTAR’s outage map to see up-to-date outageinformation about their community.(more)