Energy company has secured additional crews, encourages customers to prepare for potential outages with significant amounts of heavy, wet snow and gusty winds in the forecast following last week’s ice storm
MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 2, 2024) – On the heels of an ice storm last week and wind storm over the weekend, Eversource is prepared for another early spring storm that is forecasted to bring significant amounts of heavy, wet snow, gusty winds, and a wintry mix to New Hampshire Wednesday into Thursday. Trees and branches that were weakened following last week’s storms are more susceptible to come down and cause damage to the electric system, increasing the potential for power outages in every region of the state. Based on the latest forecasts, the energy company has secured hundreds of additional crews to support restoration for any customers who lose power, and crews have been conducting ground and aerial patrols as well as vegetation management sweeps over the last couple of days to identify potential issues and address hazardous trees in advance of another early spring winter storm.
“With the trees further weakened by last week’s destructive ice storm, we’ve been busy preparing over the last several days for this latest spring storm that is forecasted to bring winter weather to the Granite State,” said Eversource New Hampshire President of Electric Operations Doug Foley. “We performed post-storm patrols of our infrastructure after completing restoration for our customers last week, but now that we are in spring with vegetation beginning to bloom, the significant amounts of heavy, wet snow in the forecast can further weigh down the limbs and – along with the gusty winds – bring them down onto power lines and equipment, causing outages. Based on the forecast, we’ve secured hundreds of additional crews to support our response, and those crews along with additional equipment and other resources will be prepositioned at our area work centers across the state to restore power for customers as quickly and safely as possible once the storm arrives. We’re also continuing patrols of our system today to identify and proactively address potential issues like hazardous trees that could cause outages with the incoming weather.”
Customers are encouraged to also prepare for the storm by assembling or restocking a storm kit with essentials like flashlights, batteries, water, non-perishable foods, any needed medications, pet food and other necessities. In addition, make sure cell phones and devices are fully charged, create an emergency plan with family members and prepare to check on elderly neighbors and friends.
Eversource reminds customers to always stay clear of downed wires – including keeping pets away – and to report them immediately to 9–1–1. Be sure to report any outage online at Eversource.com, or by calling 800–662–7764. Customers who signed up for the company’s two-way texting feature can send a text to report an outage and receive outage updates as they happen.
Additional preparedness tips can be found at the Storm Preparedness section on Eversource.com.
