National Grid’s Western New York crews have restored service to more than 17,000 of the 23,000 customers impacted by the second of back-to-back damaging weekend windstorms. The latest storm carried gusts of up to 69 mph in some areas, and brought down trees, tree limbs and power lines. The company increased weekend staffing and work shifts in preparation for the high winds, and crews will continue to work around the clock until all customers are returned to service.
Among the hardest hit areas are Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. The company's workforce is removing hazards, making repairs and restoring service hour by hour in these regions. The labor-and time-intensive work, particularly in rural locations, involves rebuilding portions of the electricity infrastructure, including replacing broken poles and damaged equipment.
Impacted customers in areas that experienced the most significant wind damage are expected to have power restored by 11:30 p.m. today, with isolated and scattered single customer outages potentially extending into Monday morning. National Grid crews will do everything within their control to complete restoration as quickly and as safely as possible.
“We are grateful to our Western New York customers who continue to show our crews patience and understanding, especially in light of the number of storms that have battered the region over the last few months,” said Matt Barnett, National Grid’s vice president of New York Electric Operations. “We also send our appreciation to the many police, fire, public works, municipal officials, and other volunteers who continue to support our customers and our communities during the restoration process after every storm.”
The company’s first priority is to ensure the safety of customers and crews by clearing away dangers such as live, downed power lines. Next come repairs to main transmission facilities, including towers, poles and high-tension wires that deliver power to thousands of customers. Recovery work at local substations also is a high priority, followed by repairs to neighborhood circuits, transformers and service wires.
