Crews working to bring power back

WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI)- Thousands of Rhode Islanders have been without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

National Grid crews have been working around the clock to try to get the power back online, with many workers from out of state.

Eyewitness News tagged along with several electrical crews to view the massive workload they're facing.

National Grid crews have been working non-stop to make sure residents get power back, even at the expense of sleep.

"These folks need a few hours sleep. So they work 18 hours on and 6 off so that they can rest and come back and do their physical job", said Kathy Lyford, National Grid V.P. of Electrical Operations New England.

Its not just Rhode Island crews working hard. In addition to 850 staff members, more than 1000 came from out of state to help.

"We've brought in crews from Michigan and Ohio. We have a whole behind the scenes organization that's bringing in the crews, housing the crews, feeding them, stocking them with materials and getting them to work right away", Tim Horan, National Grid President stated.

National Grid expects to have more than 96% of the state back online by Saturday.