HAMPTON, N.H.— New England electricity and gas provider Unitil is preparing for the potential impacts from Hurricane Lee throughout the day Saturday as the powerful storm passes the New England coast on the way to Canada.
Because of the potential of high impacts from Lee’s close approach, Unitil proactively secured additional third party crews from outside of New England early in the week as part of its preparations and is prepared to further escalate its response throughout the weekend in the event of a more direct hit from the storm.
Unitil recommends customers prepare similarly making sure they have all the necessary items, including flashlights and fresh batteries, portable chargers and supplemental batteries for mobile devices, bottled water, canned foods and a manual can opener, and a first aid kit.
“As with any tropical cyclone, we recognize the forecasted conditions could change significantly should the storm change direction again, meaning we must remain in a state of readiness throughout the weekend,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said.
High wind gusts have the potential to damage trees and tree branches, which can in turn bring poles and wires to the ground. Always assume all cables and wires that have fallen or are dangling are energized and highly dangerous; be sure to avoid wet ground or puddles near a downed line.
In addition, keep away from all flooded and debris laden areas because they may be downed lines hidden underneath. Avoid driving in damaged areas so you don’t interfere with rescue and restoration efforts and try to stay in a safe place.
Unitil will be communicating throughout the event through public service announcements (PSAs), the Unitil website, the Unitil customer call center and through the media. Customers should follow along with Unitil storm updates via Facebook, X (@Unitil).
Real-time Unitil outage information will be available at unitil.com/map.
Courtesy Unitil Corporation.
