Natl Grid: Out of state crews called in

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- As overnight temperatures dip into the teens, more than 300 utility crews continue to brave the cold and work at restoring power to Rhode Islanders.

This weekend's blizzard left thousands of Southern New Englanders in the dark. We've learned that even though National Grid is doing all that they can to restore power, some residents will may be without power for a few days after the storm.

National Grid reports that hundreds of out of state crews will be arriving on Sunday to help.

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According to spokesman David Graves, the hardest hit areas were Aquidneck Island and the East Bay.

"We have two transmission lines that are down, we do have repair crews out, hopefully to bring those back up," he said. "We ask people to please be patient, this is going to be a multi-day event. We do expect some of these customers to be without power for the next several days."

Graves also mentioned that snowstorm outages are tougher to deal with than normal outages since the road conditions make for longer commutes for workers and equipment gets covered with ice.

"We have to take extra precautions so that people are not slipping and hurting themselves while they try to make the restorations," Graves said. "We advise our employees to be very, very cautious, to work at a safe pace, so that does add to the complexity of the restoration process."

NSTAR Electric and Gas has also been working around the clock to assess damage caused by the blizzard in their areas of Massachusetts.

"This blizzard has caused devastating damage to our electric system in the southern part of our service are and we are working to push forward with our restoration effort as soon as it's possible to do so," said Craig Hallstrom, President of NSTAR Electric. "Before the storm hit, we enlisted the aid of hundreds of outside resources and hundreds more are joining us from areas spared by this intense storm."

NSTAR ensured their customers that they would be constantly working to restore their power as quickly as possible.

Residents whose homes are without power and heat and don't have the means to stay warm are urged to call 211 for information about local emergency shelters.

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Anyone experiencing an outage is asked to contact National Grid at 800-322-3223, or NSTAR at 1-800-592-2000.