August 3, 2020 – With Tropical Storm Isaias headed toward New England on Tuesday, Norwich Public Utilities (NPU) has taken several steps to be prepared for any customer emergencies or power outages.
“We’ve been watching this storm very closely over the past few days and NPU is prepared to respond to any emergencies in the days ahead,” said Chris LaRose, General Manager of NPU. “We have a great team with years of experience in dealing with extreme weather, so we are ready to go.”
Over the weekend and throughout the day on Monday, NPU has been preparing for the possibility of heavy rain and strong winds that could impact the region on Tuesday into Wednesday. Steps taken by NPU include:
- Having all vehicles inspected and fueled
- Confirming adequate supplies of all necessary materials and equipment
- Assuring appropriate staffing for all critical functions of NPU including the line and gas departments, customer service, communications, GIS, Information Technology, maintenance mechanics and engineers
- Testing of all internal communications and external equipment
- Having a contractor tree crew available on standby
If circumstances warrant, both the City’s and NPU”s Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) at 16 South Golden Street can be activated – in a modified, socially distant manner – in under an hour.
NPU’s Customer Service Center will be closed to walk-in visitors but NPU’s Customer Service Representatives will be available as usual at (860) 887-2555.
NPU is also reminding the public than any downed utility wire should be assumed to be energized and a potentially lethal hazard. Report any downed wires to 9-1-1 immediately.
Should there by wide-scale outages over the next two days, NPU will provide regular updates to the media and on its Facebook page.