Before,

during and
after the
storm
Your guide to natural gas
and electric outage preparation
and safety
Emergency contact information

National Grid Customer Service 1-800-642-4272

To report a National Grid power outage: 1-800-867-5222

National Grid Gas Emergency: 1-800-892-2345

Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA): 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)

FEMA Hard of hearing/Speech disability TTY: 1-800-462-7585

FEMA 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS): 1-800-621-3362

American Red Cross: 1-800-733-2767

www.redcross.org/find-help/shelter

For more information, visit us at www.nationalgrid.com

and connect with us on

This is an important notice.

Please have it translated.
Your safety is our top
In this book:
priority, before, during
Before the storm
and after an outage. 2 | Preparing for an emergency.
When a service outage occurs, we know there’s one thing
on your mind: When will my electricity or natural gas service
During the storm
be restored? Often, it’s not an easy question to answer,
because outages happen for many different reasons — from
4 | Natural gas safety.
large storms and flooding causing widespread damage — to
a single lightning strike, an excavator accident or a downed
5 | Generator safety.
tree in your backyard.

No matter what the cause of the service interruption is, 6 | Stay Connected.
restoring your service as safely and quickly as possible is Stay informed.
our top priority.
7 | How we restore power.
Preparing to respond to outages takes careful planning on
our part. We encourage you to also be prepared by following 8 | Extreme weather conditions
simple steps like making a safety kit and knowing who to call and your health.
when a storm strikes. Being prepared and staying connected
can help to better protect you and your family.
After the storm
Together, we can weather the storm.
10 | General safety tips following
a major storm.

11 | Restoring your electric service.

12 | Restoring your natural

gas service.

14 | Appliance safety after

a flood.

15 | Call before you dig.

Before, during and after the storm | 1

Planning for an outage emergency.

Severe weather or other disasters can occur with little • Fill containers (water bottles, bath tubs etc) have
or no warning. Be prepared by taking steps now to with water. Should there be a water outage you
protect your family and your home. will be able to use it for drinking and personal
hygiene needs.
Step 1 Talk about it.
Share emergency plans, the location of emergency Step 4 Prepare an emergency kit.
supplies, meeting places, contact information and Keep an emergency kit year-round with a minimum
safety precautions with all household members, 3-day supply, and make sure everyone at home knows
relatives and friends. where to find it. The American Red Cross recommends
including the following:
Step 2 Protect your assets. • Water—one gallon per person, per day
Secure important legal and personal documents such
• Canned and dried foods, and a can opener
as medical information and prescriptions, birth and
marriage certificates, governmental issued IDs and • Flashlight (Candles could be fire hazards)
property and insurance papers to keep them from • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
damage and in case you need them handy if an • Extra batteries
evacuation is required, or your property is damaged.
• Charged cell phone with chargers
Create an inventory of personal valuables and insured
• First aid kit, including medications, physician
assets using photographs, video and/or manual records.
and pharmacy information, and backup power
That will enhance your ability to recover your losses
for life-sustaining medical equipment
after a disaster.
• Blankets
Step 3 Assess your home preparedness. • Toiletries
Check your home for potential danger areas (windows, • Family and emergency contact information
basements, furnace, vents, etc.) to make sure your family • Baby formula and diapers
and property will be safe during an extended outage.
Follow these steps to protect your family and your home
during a disaster:
• Turn off and unplug any non-essential electrical
equipment, including pool equipment.
• Fasten doors and windows.
• Store and secure outdoor furnishings and
gardening tools.
• If possible keep a non-cordless telephone in your
home. It is likely to work even when the power is out.
• Lower the temperature of your refrigerator and
store extra ice to prevent food decay if the power
goes out.

2 | Before, during and after the storm

 Before a storm

Step 5 Be ready for a potential evacuation.

• Fuel and check your car. Have an extra set of keys.
• Make sure you have cash. Credit cards may not work
during an outage.
• Pack your emergency kit and other supplies you
and your loved ones might need.
• Be aware of emergency shelters, hotel or friend’s
homes you could go to outside the risk area.
• Let your loved ones know of your plans.
• Locate recommended evacuation routes and
be prepared to experience delays.
• Make plans to keep your pets safe.
• Turn off gas heating and cooling systems, and
electricity at the main box.
• Lock your home before you leave.

Step 6 Emergency contacts and phone numbers.

Make a list of the emergency contacts you might need
For our customers with special needs.
including local authorities, utilities, healthcare providers
and out-of-area family members. If you or a loved one rely on electrically operated
life-sustaining medical devices, or anyone in your
Step 7 Don’t forget to protect your business. household is over 62 years of age, disabled or
If you are a business owner, consider these steps to blind, you may be in immediate danger if the
secure your employees, property and assets: power goes out. Please complete and mail in
• Employee safety comes first! Prepare, distribute our Notification of Special Needs form, which
information and perform emergency drills year-round. is available at www.nationalgrid.com or by
• Establish a meeting point and time for employees in calling Customer Service at 1-800-642-4272.
case communications are disrupted. Customers relying on electric life-sustaining
• Consider providing shelter to employees and their medical equipment may qualify as a Life Support
families and helping with supplies post-storm. customer. This will help us identify and be aware
• Secure doors and windows. Cover if necessary. of any special needs in your household. We
• Protect and move equipment/furniture to a attempt to contact our customers on life-sustaining
secured area. equipment before a planned outage. We also
• Protect data with backup files. regularly review equipment requirements to
• Be prepared to work with limited supplies of cash, stay up-to-date on our customers’ needs.
and be without water, sewer or power for at least two
weeks. Store emergency supplies at the office.

Before, during and after the storm | 3

Natural gas safety.

Natural gas safety – use your sense • Check chimneys or flues for debris, birds’ nests or
other blockage.
A gas leak is often recognized by smell, sight or sound.
• Never use a gas range for heating. Also, never burn
SMELL – Natural gas is colorless and odorless. A
coal or charcoal in an enclosed space or use an outdoor
distinctive, pungent odor, similar to rotten eggs, is
grill indoors.
added so that you’ll recognize it quickly.
• Install at least one UL listed carbon monoxide detector
SIGHT – Outdoors you may see a white cloud, mist, in your home, near bedrooms.
fog, and bubbles in standing water or blowing dust.
• If your carbon monoxide unit sounds the alarm, go
You may also see vegetation that appears to be dead
outside immediately and call 911.
or dying for no apparent reason.
• Do not return until the carbon monoxide source is found.
SOUND – You may hear an unusual noise like roaring,
hissing or whistling. • The symptoms of carbon monoxide are similar to the
flu and may include headaches, dizziness, weakness,
What to do if you think there’s a gas leak: sleepiness, nausea, confusion, tightness of the chest,
• Move to a safe area. fluttering of the heart, redness of the skin and loss of
muscle control.
• DO NOT smoke or do anything to create a flame.
• DO NOT turn on light switches or electrical equip- • Never install a generator inside a house or building.
ment. These items may produce a spark that Operating a generator indoors—even with a door or
might ignite the gas and cause an explosion. window open—is never safe.
• Call National Grid immediately (see emergency
phone numbers)
• DO NOT assume someone else will report the
condition.
• Provide the exact location, including cross streets.
• Let us know if sewer construction or digging activities
are going on in the area.

Carbon monoxide safety

Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas that is
colorless, odorless and tasteless.
Common sources include malfunctioning fuel-burning
appliances such as hot air furnaces, space heaters National Grid will respond immediately to all
and natural gas ranges. carbon-monoxide-related calls from all natural gas
customers within our service area – even if you
purchase natural gas from an alternative gas
supplier (or marketer). First, please call 911.
National Grid Gas Emergency
1-800-892-2345

4 | Before, during and after the storm

 During a storm

Generator safety.

If you have, or are planning to buy a stand-by

generator, please observe these guideline to
protect yourself and your family:

• Have a licensed or qualified electrician install a transfer

switch for your generator. If connected improperly, a
generator can be destroyed when power is restored—
this could endanger anyone who is nearby.
• If you do not have a transfer switch, make sure your
home or office electrical wiring is disconnected from
our power lines before you operate your generator.
This requires that the main circuit breaker in your
electric service panel box is in the OFF position or,
in older electric service panel boxes, that the main
fuse block is removed. This prevents your generator’s
electricity from going back into the power lines in
the street, which could endanger line crews and
your neighbors.
• Never install a generator inside a house or building.
• Never use generators in homes, garages, basements
crawl spaces or other enclosed or partially enclosed
areas, even with ventilation.
• Never plug a generator directly into a wall outlet.
• If you have questions about the safe operation
of your electric generator, contact a licensed or
qualified electrician.

Before, during and after the storm | 5

Stay Connected. Stay informed during a storm.

Always report your outage to National Grid immediately,

either by phone or our website if possible.
When an outage occurs, every report we receive helps
us better understand the extent of the outage, so we
need to hear from you every time. As the restoration
process begins, all reports must be checked out.

How to report an outage.

If your neighborhood is without power, please call Customer
Service at 1-800-867-5222 to make sure we know about
the outage, or for updates on when services is expected to
be restored. You should never assume we know about
the outage.
To report an outage on our website, visit www.national
grid.com and click on Safety and Outages. Outage Central
displays a map-based picture of current power outages,
provides an overall summary detailing the number of affected
customers, and displays estimated restoration time.

When will the power be back on? We offer a variety

of ways to stay informed.
Text alerts: Sign up for to receive National Grid state-level
broadcast text alerts by texting the word STORM to NGRID
(64743)*.
Area restoration information: Text the word SUM followed
by your town, city or state to NGRID (64743)* and access
local restoration information. For example, if you live in
Syracuse, simply text SUM Syracuse to NGRID (64743).
Email alerts: When you create an online profile with us,
you’ll start receiving emergency e-mail alerts during
storms and other incidents. Visit “My National Grid” at
www.nationalgrid.com.
Mobile app: Download our safety and outage reporting
mobile app. Receive important alerts before, during and after
the storm, and more.
To learn more about these and other ways to stay connected
during major storms visit ngrid.com/connect

6 | Before, during and after the storm

 During a storm

How we restore power.

Every outage is unique, but these are the general steps we follow to begin restoring service as quickly and as
safely as possible during major outages.

Assess damage and protect the public

1
We must ensure that all downed wires are made safe and
roads are accessible to restoration crews. At this point we
patrol damaged circuits to assess infrastructure damage.

Repair transmission lines

Under our priority system, repair crews typically 2
first address problems with transmission lines and
substations that serve large numbers of customers,
and restore critical customers such as hospitals and
public safety facilities, water treatment facilities, etc.

Repair substations
While problems with transmission lines
are being resolved, crews also begin to
3 work on substations and primary lines
that serve many customers.

Repair distribution lines

Lines and transformers within neighborhoods
and the wires that connect them to homes 4
and businesses come next—starting with
STORE
areas that involve the most customers.

Repair neighborhood tap lines

5 Crews then target secondary lines that serve
local neighborhoods.

Connect individual customers

6
While you’re waiting for your power to return, please know that we’re doing
everything we can to restore your electric service as quickly, and as safely as possible.

View our “Power Outages: Preparation to Restoration” video at www.ngrid.com/youtube.

Before, during and after the storm | 7

Extreme weather conditions and your health.

Information to help you handle cold

temperatures or excessive heat.

Hypothermia
Also known as “cold stress,” hypothermia is a preventable
illness that can result not only from exposure to outdoor
cold, but also from unprotected exposure to cool indoor
temperatures. If undetected and untreated, hypothermia
can be serious and even life threatening, especially for
those most vulnerable like older adults, infants and
people with chronic health problems. It should be treated
immediately by a doctor or emergency medical team at
the first sign of these symptoms:
• Skin that is cool to the touch
• Shivering
• Difficulty in speaking or moving
• Drowsiness
• A puffy or swollen face
• A sudden change in appearance or behavior
• Trembling in an arm, leg or on one side
• Cold and stiff muscles
• Difficulty with coordination and balance
While waiting for medical assistance:
• Handle the person very gently, wrapping them
with quilts, blankets or towels and cover the
person’s head or neck
Do not try to rewarm a person with hot drinks or food,
alcohol or drugs, hot baths or showers, or by rubbing
their arms and legs. These efforts could result in
heart failure.
Heat Stress
Just as extreme cold temperatures can cause
serious health problems, prolonged temperatures
of 90°F or above can lead to heat-related illnesses,
especially for the elderly, young children and those
with chronic illnesses, and in places with poor
ventilation or a lot of concrete, asphalt or a dense
concentration of buildings.

8 | Before, during and after the storm

 During a storm

This heat stress can result in serious illness, heart

failure or stroke.
Mild signs of heat stress:
Serious signs that heat stress might become a threat
to health, including:
• Dizziness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Nausea
• Throbbing headache
• Dry skin (no sweating)
• Diarrhea
• Chest pain
• Overwhelming weakness
• Problems with breathing
• Cramps

Anyone experiencing any of these symptoms should

call a doctor at once and seek medical help.
There are a number of simple things you can do
to avoid the dangers of heat stress:
• Find and stay in a cool place for as much time as
possible. A shopping mall, library, church, movie
theater or senior center are open to the public.
• Take cool baths or showers.
• Use a fan and keep drapes closed when
windows are in direct sunlight.
• Wear cotton clothing that is lightweight,
loose-fitting and light-colored. If you have to
be in the sun, wear a hat or use an umbrella.
• Take it easy. Avoid prolonged, strenuous
outdoor activity.
• Despite the heat, eat a well-balanced diet.
Avoid hot and heavy meals. Do any
cooking during the cooler hours of the day.
• Drink liquids. Don’t wait until you are thirsty.
Avoid alcoholic beverages and drinks that
contain caffeine and salt.

Before, during and after the storm | 9

 Electrical safety and outage reporting.

If someone claiming to be a National Grid employee

comes to your door, be sure he or she shows a
National Grid identification badge.

General safety tips

• Listen to the radio or TV for instructions from
local officials.
• Wait until an area has been declared safe before
entering. Be careful driving since roads may be
damaged and power lines may be down.
• Before entering a building, check for structural damage.
• Upon entering a building, use a battery-powered flash-
light. DO NOT use an open flame as a source of light.
Gas may be trapped inside.
• When inspecting the building, wear rubber boots
and gloves.
• Watch for electrical shorts and live wires before making To report a National Grid power outage:
sure the main power switch is off. 1-800-867-5222
• DO NOT turn on electrical appliances until an electrician
has checked the system and appliances.
• Test drinking water for potability. Wells should be Electrical safety
pumped out and water tested before drinking. • Never touch any fallen lines or anything touching
• If the public water system is declared “unsafe” by health fallen wires. Report all fallen wires to your local
officials, water for drinking and cooking should be electric company.
boiled vigorously for 10 minutes. • If service has been restored to your neighbor-
hood and your home is still without power, call
• Shovel out mud or sand with special attention to
your local electric company.
cleaning heating and plumbing systems.
• It is very important your electric utility hear from
• Flooded basements should be drained and cleaned
you regarding your outage. You should never
as soon as possible. Structural damage can occur if
assume they know about the power outage.
drained too quickly. When surrounding waters have
subsided, begin draining the basement in stages, • If your home has flooded, please check with an
about one-third of the water volume each day. electrician before turning anything on.
• Gradually reconnect your appliances to avoid
overloading circuits when power is restored.

10 | Before, during and after the storm

 After a storm

Restoring your electric service.

1. If your electric panel was underwater or the wiring

to your home was damaged, contact an electrical
contractor to evaluate your home and make any
necessary repairs.

2. When repairs are completed, the electrical

contractor will assist you in obtaining an
“electrical inspection” from a third party agency.
Please note that electrical inspections are not
performed by National Grid.

3. When the home passes the electrical inspection,

the inspector will contact National Grid and the
appropriate service order will be released to turn
on your power.
A list of electrical inspection agencies is available
from National Grid.
In all cases, someone must be home for
National Grid to restore electrical service to
a home/building.

For further information about the restoration of your

electric service, please call:
1-800-642-4272.

Before, during and after the storm | 11

Restoring your natural gas service.

A natural gas service interruption can occur for a variety of reasons, such as widespread flooding or a broken pipe
on your street. While no two outages are alike, this process is a general guideline for restoring your service safely and quickly.

1 An outage has occurred. National Grid then turns off your gas service to test the system.

If your meter is located outside: We will turn off and “lock” the gas service and leave
a brochure explaining the next steps to restore service.
If your meter is located inside: We will make every attempt to contact you to gain
access to the meter to turn off and lock the gas service. If we cannot gain access, a
door hanger will be left explaining next steps and instructing you where to call.

2 The gas system is repaired (mains in the street and/or service line to your home).

3 Restore gas service, test lines and relight appliances.

This final, but necessary, step in the restoration process requires that we test gas lines
and relight all gas appliances in your home.
If you are not at home when we arrive to turn on your service, a door hanger will be left
with instructions for making an appointment to complete this step.

12 | Before, during and after the storm

 After a storm

Flooding or system damage to your home or business

may have resulted in disconnection from our natural gas
system. It is our goal to restore your natural gas service as
safely and quickly as possible.
First, we must test the integrity of the system. To do this,
gas services in the affected area will be turned off at the
customer’s home or business. If you are not home for
us to turn off and lock the gas service, there are two
possible scenarios:
1. If your meter is located OUTSIDE, National Grid
will turn off and lock the gas service, and leave you
information explaining the situation and the process
for restoring gas service.
2. If your meter is located INSIDE, National Grid will
make every attempt to contact you, and leave
information to schedule an appointment to turn
off and lock your gas service.
Once the system has been tested and repaired, we
will return to all of the affected homes and businesses
to turn the gas on, test the house lines and relight the
customers’ appliances. Our employees require access
to all gas appliances in your household to complete
restoration. If you are not home when we return, there
are two possible scenarios:
1. If your meter is located OUTSIDE we will return to
test the house line and relight the gas appliances.
If you are not home when we return, we will leave
information to schedule an appointment. Flood waters can permanently damage gas
and electrical equipment. Even if the equipment
2. If the meter is located INSIDE we will need to inspect dries out, contaminants can affect electronics
the gas meter installation before lighting any appliances,
and moving parts. Corrosion is likely and is often
and will leave information to schedule an appointment.
hidden where it cannot be seen. This can lead
For further information about the restoration of your to failures and can cause fires, even if the
natural gas service, please call: equipment appears intact and functions after
1-800-642-4272 drying out. Please consult professional electrical,
heating and cooling service providers. Replacement
is the preferred remedy.

Before, during and after the storm | 13

Appliance safety after a flood.

What to do if heating or cooling equipment has • Radiant ceiling heat - A qualified electrician
been exposed to standing water. should be consulted to determine whether the
cable is reusable.
Safety precautions must be taken after a home or business
has been exposed to standing water, which can damage • Heat pumps and air conditioning systems -
an electrical system, water heater, furnace, boiler, air-con- The decision to repair or replace should be made
ditioning, ventilation, and heat pump system — putting you by a qualified professional on a case-by-case basis.
and your family at risk.
• Water heating systems - Whether your water
• Replacement vs. repair - In most cases, flood- heater is gas-fired, oil-fired or electric, if it was
damaged heating and cooling equipment and systems exposed to flood water, the unit should be replaced.
will have to be replaced, not repaired. All inspection and A new water heater is a relatively small investment,
replacement work on flooded equipment should be and replacing it is fairly easy to do.
performed by qualified heating and cooling contractors, • Government aid - Government aid may be
not by homeowners. A licensed electrician should available to help you finance the replacement of
replace flooded electrical equipment and components. flood-damaged HVAC equipment. Contact a Federal
• Ductwork – If you have a central forced-air furnace Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) office near
in the house you are repairing, pay attention to your you. Consult your insurance company first.
ductwork too. A qualified heating contractor will not
try to salvage duct insulation that has been in contact
with flood water, but will replace it because it is
impossible to decontaminate.
• Gas furnaces, boilers, fireplaces - If there is
any question whether flood water has submerged
a gas appliance and/or its controls, have the unit
checked by a qualified heating contractor.
• Electric furnaces - Just like the gas-fired warm- For more information, please visit:
air furnace, the electric furnace is susceptible to Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration
corrosion and damage, resulting in reliability problems Institute (AHRI)
or safety hazards. Have the unit checked by a www.ahrinet.org
qualified heating contractor.
US Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Propane heating - Use extreme caution when www.cpsc.gov
there is the potential for propane leaks and get
propane equipment checked, repaired and/or
replaced by a qualified heating contractor as
quickly as possible after a flood. Source: Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute

14 | Before, during and after the storm

 After a storm

Call before you dig.

Delivering safe, reliable natural gas service to our

customers is our top priority. Pipeline safety is
something we take very seriously at National Grid.
Even though most lines are buried underground,
that doesn’t mean you can ignore them.
Keep your family and community safe by helping to
prevent gas leaks. Always call Dig Safely New York at
811 or 1-800-962-7962 before you dig.
Know the signs of a gas leak. We’ve added a spoiled egg
smell that makes natural gas easier to identify. Look for
bubbles in standing water, a white cloudy mist or blowing
dust, which indicates that an underground gas line
may have ruptured; or, listen for a hissing, roaring or
whistling sound.
If you smell, see or hear any of those indications, leave the
area immediately, then call National Grid at 1-800-892-
2345. Be smart and be safe. Know what’s below — call
before you dig and know the signs of a gas leak.
Visit our website, below, for additional safety information.
www.nationalgrid.com

Before, during and after the storm | 15

16 | Before, during and after the storm
 Visit us at www.nationalgrid.com and connect with us on

CM5576 (2/14) UNY ELECTRIC AND GAS