National Grid has successfully restored power to 122,000 customers across the state who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. All nine substations knocked out by wind, water and fallen trees are back to operating at full capacity. They are working around the clock with state officials and the National Guard to restore service to the remaining 48,000 customers by Friday, although some isolated restorations may take until Saturday.
The company added that they are also working to restore natural gas service to customers in Newport and Westerly. In Westerly the natural gas distribution system was heavily damaged by flooding, thus Natural grid is developing a plan for reconstruction of that area. Both areas will have gas service restored as electric power returns.
National Grid President Timothy F. Horan said in a statement "We want our customers to know that we are here for them and we will not stop until every customer has power back...We've made significant progress so far, but our work is not done. We will continue to communicate openly and directly with our communities and customers as we continue to forge ahead with the restoration work."
