National Grid: “Vast Majority” To Have Power Tonight
National Grid says it should have power restored to the vast majority of customers in Worcester County and elsewhere tonight.
As of about 11 a.m., the utility reported more than 33,000 homes and businesses in the county were still without power, including more than 7,000 in the city of Worcester. That's just under 10 percent of the utility's total customers in the city.
Vanessa Charles, a National Grid spokeswoman, said the city has been particularly difficult to restore because many electrical lines run through residential neighborhoods that are inaccessible to bucket trucks. She said there are 250 linemen working in Worcester alone, climbing utility poles with spiked shoes to restore power.
Charles said National Grid expects that the only areas without power by tomorrow will be small pockets where tree damage was particularly heavy or single customers in remote rural areas.
Meanwhile, NSTAR, which covers much of the MetroWest area, said it had restored power to all but 466 customers by 8 a.m. today. Spokesman Michael Durand said the utility has made progress since then.
"We've just about wrapped up our storm restoration operations," he said.
Unitil, the electrical provider for Fitchburg and other communities in North Central Massachusetts, had restored power to 99 percent of customers by Tuesday night, according to spokesman Alec O'Meara.
The utilities urge customers who are still without power to call their hotlines. In some cases, customers may have issues with the lines on their own property and may need to get help from an electrician to restore their power.
(Photo above: Luke Young, a lineman with National Grid contractor M.J. Electric, works to reconnect backyard power lines yesterday on Saxon Drive in Worcester.)
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