Rhode Island Energy prepares for potential extreme weather
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island Energy said that it is watching severe storm potential that may cause outages Monday.
The company said it has 1,600 personnel prepared to respond to the storm, which it said is expected to have wind gusts up to 60 mph and up to three inches of rain.
The extra personnel include ooverhead line, forestry, contractors, underground, damage assessment, wires-down, transmission, substation, municipal liaisons, and call center staff, all of which will be staged across the state.
“The high winds and additional rain, on ground that is already saturated from last weekend’s storm, could cause flooding and bring down trees and limbs on our electric lines and equipment, causing power outages,” RIE President Dave Bonenberger said. “We want customers to know that we have crews across the state and secured hundreds of additional line and forestry workers to help get Rhode Islanders back online as safely and efficiently as we can, where we see outages.”
RIE said customers should report and track outages at RIEnergy.com or by calling 855-743-1102.
The company also released safety guidelines for the public, which includes staying away from downed powerlines, preparing bottled water and canned food, operating generators outdoors, and reporting natural gas leaks to 911 or to RIE’s 24-hour gas emergency number at 1-800-640-1595.
