topgroove
10-19-2006, 09:24 PM
News Releases
National Grid Storm Response By The Numbers
Oct. 19, 2006*—As of 4 p.m. today, National Grid has restored power to more than 214,000, or more than 80 percent of the homes and businesses that were affected by last week’s devastating storm.* Approximately 51,000 of the original 265,000 homes and businesses that were affected by the storm remain without power.* National Grid expects to have more than 90 percent of the remaining homes and businesses back on line by Friday night and complete the restoration process by Saturday night.
“We continue to be amazed at the extent of the destruction that was wrought by this storm,” said Dennis Elsenbeck, vice president of Business Services for National Grid’s Western Division.* “Our survey crews estimate that the storm left 9,000 neighborhood blocks with tree damage, 10,000 individual services to be reconnected and more than 1.5 million feet of wire in need of repair, replacement or re-stringing.”* Elsenbeck added that because much of the extensive tree damage is in areas that have primarily back-lot construction, it takes six tree crews to do the work that normally would be handled by one crew.
More than 4,000 workers from National Grid, other utilities and qualified contractors from 16 states and three Canadian provinces continue to work around the clock to repair the damage and bring every customer back on line as quickly and safely as possible.* They are supported by other people who are providing supervision, coordination, logistics, materials, lodging, and other services to the field crews and the overall restoration effort.
The number of crews and support workers that has descended upon Western New York is roughly equivalent to the population of a small town, and National Grid has implemented a massive logistical support system to accommodate the vast influx of staff.
A large staging area has been set up in the parking lot at the East Hills Mall in Clarence, NY, to serve as a central location for feeding and deploying crews; storing materials, supplies and equipment; conducting safety briefings and parking for more than a thousand bucket trucks and other vehicles involved in the restoration.
Field workers are shuttled to and from their hotels directly to the staging area by a fleet of 50 buses.* This way, they have a one-stop location for meals, assignments, information, materials pick-up and everything else they need before departing directly to the job site.* There is even an on-site nurse practitioner who handles any medical or health issues that may arise, including refilling prescriptions.
“We have found the staging area to be extremely effective in expediting our ability to restore customers’ power and helping to keep the field workers well-fed and well-rested,” Elsenbeck commented.
About 12,000 meals are served daily to the workforce, which is being housed at approximately 2,600 hotel rooms at 100 area hotels. The convoy of 1,500 utility and other vehicles requires roughly 10,000 gallons of fuel each day.* A total of about 55 tractor-trailer loads of materials and equipment will be used to replace damaged infrastructure.* Please see the attached summary of the storm “by the numbers.”
Elsenbeck concluded, “While we’re extremely pleased with the overall success of the ‘storm central’ staging area, our number-one goal is to get customers back on line and put it out of business.”
For information on National Grid’s restoration efforts and information on how to stay safe, visit www.nationalgridus.com.
National Grid, through the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas, serves close to 4 million customers across 29,000 square miles of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.
National Grid Storm Response By The Numbers
Oct. 19, 2006*—As of 4 p.m. today, National Grid has restored power to more than 214,000, or more than 80 percent of the homes and businesses that were affected by last week’s devastating storm.* Approximately 51,000 of the original 265,000 homes and businesses that were affected by the storm remain without power.* National Grid expects to have more than 90 percent of the remaining homes and businesses back on line by Friday night and complete the restoration process by Saturday night.
“We continue to be amazed at the extent of the destruction that was wrought by this storm,” said Dennis Elsenbeck, vice president of Business Services for National Grid’s Western Division.* “Our survey crews estimate that the storm left 9,000 neighborhood blocks with tree damage, 10,000 individual services to be reconnected and more than 1.5 million feet of wire in need of repair, replacement or re-stringing.”* Elsenbeck added that because much of the extensive tree damage is in areas that have primarily back-lot construction, it takes six tree crews to do the work that normally would be handled by one crew.
More than 4,000 workers from National Grid, other utilities and qualified contractors from 16 states and three Canadian provinces continue to work around the clock to repair the damage and bring every customer back on line as quickly and safely as possible.* They are supported by other people who are providing supervision, coordination, logistics, materials, lodging, and other services to the field crews and the overall restoration effort.
The number of crews and support workers that has descended upon Western New York is roughly equivalent to the population of a small town, and National Grid has implemented a massive logistical support system to accommodate the vast influx of staff.
A large staging area has been set up in the parking lot at the East Hills Mall in Clarence, NY, to serve as a central location for feeding and deploying crews; storing materials, supplies and equipment; conducting safety briefings and parking for more than a thousand bucket trucks and other vehicles involved in the restoration.
Field workers are shuttled to and from their hotels directly to the staging area by a fleet of 50 buses.* This way, they have a one-stop location for meals, assignments, information, materials pick-up and everything else they need before departing directly to the job site.* There is even an on-site nurse practitioner who handles any medical or health issues that may arise, including refilling prescriptions.
“We have found the staging area to be extremely effective in expediting our ability to restore customers’ power and helping to keep the field workers well-fed and well-rested,” Elsenbeck commented.
About 12,000 meals are served daily to the workforce, which is being housed at approximately 2,600 hotel rooms at 100 area hotels. The convoy of 1,500 utility and other vehicles requires roughly 10,000 gallons of fuel each day.* A total of about 55 tractor-trailer loads of materials and equipment will be used to replace damaged infrastructure.* Please see the attached summary of the storm “by the numbers.”
Elsenbeck concluded, “While we’re extremely pleased with the overall success of the ‘storm central’ staging area, our number-one goal is to get customers back on line and put it out of business.”
For information on National Grid’s restoration efforts and information on how to stay safe, visit www.nationalgridus.com.
National Grid, through the transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas, serves close to 4 million customers across 29,000 square miles of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.