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Power Outages Reported in Southern New Hampshire

by: hannah

Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 06:42:51 AM EST
(Looks like this is a much bigger weather event than expected. - promoted by Dean Barker)

Strong winds pulled shingles off roofs and downed trees last night, leaving many roads impassable.  Power went out in Durham about 9:30 PM.  If roads are blocked by fallen trees and flooding, it will be a while before repairs can be effected.

Between Nashua and Durham, many communities seemed to be dark.

91 Closing/Delays have been reported

http://www.wmur.com/closings/i...

Adding (Dean): Here's psnh's Twiiter page and the state's coverage. And Lynch's declaration of state emergency below the fold.
hannah :: Power Outages Reported in Southern New Hampshire
Gov. Lynch Declares State of Emergency

CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch this morning declared a state of emergency to ensure all state resources are available to help families impacted by the winter storm and resulting widespread power outages.

This storm has caused power outages for more than 330,000 customers, second only to the damage caused by the 2008 ice storm.

"High winds and heavy rains have downed tress and power lines across our state, and it is important that the state has all its resources available to manage this situation. I urge all New Hampshire citizens to take sensible precautions and heed all warnings from public officials," Gov. Lynch said.

The Governor has activated 50 members of the National Guard to provide support.

Gov. Lynch and emergency management officials held conference calls this morning with the four electric utilities and with the state's emergency management directors.

Gov. Lynch urged citizens without power to plan for an extended power outage. New Hampshire's utilities report it could be several days, possibly a week, before power is restored in some areas.

This storm has caused numerous downed trees and wires across the state causing hazardous travel conditions.

State Emergency management officials urge citizens to:

*       Avoid unnecessary travel
*       Watch for downed trees and power lines
*       Avoid downed power lines
*       Plan for prolonged power outages
*       Contact local public safety officials if you are in need of sheltering assistance; The state Emergency Operations Center is working with the Red Cross and local communities to ensure shelters are available where necessary
*       Anyone in need of emergency assistance should call 9-1-1.

Anyone needing assistance in finding a shelter or other non-emergency help can call the state's information hotline at 2-1-1.

State officials will also be posting on www.nh.gov/readynh  maps and a list of current power outages by community.
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Power Outages Reported in Southern New Hampshire | 28 comments
310,000 w/o power (4.00 / 1)
many will be w/o for days says Martin Murray of PSNH...worst hit was the seacoast, but all over the state there is damage from the high winds...on a happy note 18" new snow at Wildcat where it is $9 Friday!

note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
Sitting in the cold (4.00 / 1)
in Newbury. PSNH plays a recording saying that it may be "multiple days" before power is restored. I have enough firewood left for maybe 4-5 days. Small generator supplies lights and computer, not heat, not refrigeration and, most importantly, not the pump for water. Looks like a rerun of the December 2008 outage when we were out for nine days. Had to break the ice on Lake Sunapee to get water to flush toilets. Can someone explain why electric lines are not below the ground? Of course it would be expensive, but I have to believe that repairing virtually every line in the state every couple of years is just as expensive and a damn sight more inconvenient for consumers.
I remember loving winter when I was a kid.  

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.
How on earth (4.00 / 1)
I managed to stay with power at my place I'll never know.

We had insane wind and driving rain/sleet last night.

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

[ Parent ]
ours was off for hours (4.00 / 1)
but thankfully back ...from a friend in town in Concord...

rt@Eric Kratz Tolbert- woke up to his street being closed, his roof heavily damaged and a tree on top of his car! I guess I am a heavy sleeper.

note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other

[ Parent ]
Makes sitting in a cold house (0.00 / 0)
seem a little to trivial to complain about.

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.
[ Parent ]
you can complain (0.00 / 0)
I will listen :-)

note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
[ Parent ]
Thnx (4.00 / 2)
but it could be worse. We have enough snow to melt to flush tho I'd like to take a hot shower. Fire in the fireplace tho the propane furnace does a much better job. Managed to get the snowblower fired up w/o the electric start and cleared the driveway where the town had erected a virtual wall of snow that was on the verge of freezing solid. Have a generator for lights and computer, a Kindle to pass the time... so, yeah it could be a lot worse. At least no damage to home or vehicle from the wind.

I'm soooo looking forward to when Mrs Rambler retires and we get the boat we've been wanting and can follow the warm up and down the Intra Coastal Waterway. Summer in Maine/NH and winter in Florida or the Bahamas. Just thinking about that makes this mess of a winter a little easier to bear. Sun, sand , palm trees and a Corona or two. Maybe a rum punch or mojito.   Mmmmmmmm.

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.

[ Parent ]
Things, in fact, could be much much worse. (4.00 / 1)
Our daughter and son-in-law invited Mrs Rambler and me and our little dog to spend the night in their home with electricity, heat and water. We did and spent a comfortable night. And this morning returned home to find electricity, heat and water. Yay and thank you to PSNH.

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.
[ Parent ]
The underground lines are subject to being compromised (4.00 / 3)
by:

tree roots
rodents
frost moving rocks
corrosion

Putting the lines in conduit doesn't necessarily protect them either.  The idea seems to be to install segments which can be pulled and replaced as necessary.  However, even when the ground isn't frozen, they may not be able to be withdrawn.
That's why our wires are now through the air again and the telephone guy said not to rebury the phone line either.

[ Parent ]
So what we really need to do (0.00 / 0)
is to decentralize our electricity. Fuel cells?  

...the Doo Dah Man once told me you've got to play your hand. Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime if you don't lay 'em down.
[ Parent ]
60 Minutes on 4 inch cubic fuel cells to power a house. (4.00 / 4)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...

A fascinating possibility being tried out at several major corporations which holds out promise for decentralizing  power and eliminating the grid.  

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

[ Parent ]
Came back to add that while single systems of any kind, (4.00 / 1)
whether imposed by force like monopolies or chosen voluntarily, are inimical to organic existence.  Diversity isn't just a product; diversity is what organic existence depends on to survive--a cause, not a result.
We err when we put a lot of effort into uniformity.
[ Parent ]
I never understood.... (0.00 / 0)
why we can't choose from among all the electricity generators, regardless of which company is maintaining the physical wire grid in the neighborhood, as they do in Maine...
[ Parent ]
9:45 Concord Monitor reports- #psnhwires (4.00 / 1)

http://www.concordmonitor.com/...
9:45 a.m.
The wind storm that's knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of New Hampshire residents has a Twitter posse.
People have been using the social-networking web site to share news of power outages, downed wires and closed roads, many using the hashtag #NHwind2010.
Public Service of New Hampshire has been using its account (@psnh) to update the public and even gather information for its repair crews.
"The advantage of using Twitter is that we're able to provide instant updates to a pretty wide audience and we're also able to get information from them," said spokesman Matt Chagnon.
People can use the hashtag #psnhwires to report downed lines, Chagnon said.
"We've been encouraging it for a few months now and we don't have a lot of people doing it, but more and more people are doing," he said.
The tweets are then directed to PSNH operations staff, who take it into consideration when directing crews, Chagnon said.
Outages and downed lines also can be reported to PSNH at 800-662-7764. Unitil customers in the Concord area should call 800-852-3339


note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
Global weirding (0.00 / 0)
More violent storms are one of the predictions of climate change theory.  After my sleepless night hoping one of the many tall trees around my home in the woods didn't land on the roof over my bed, that generator we bought after the 1998 ice storm looks more and more like a great investment.  There are lines down on our road and we are usually are among the last to get power back.  

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.
Strangest weather. (0.00 / 0)
Somehow most of my town kept its power, but towns just to the West and East of us didn't.  And our two little gas stations had long lines.

On the road to Concord, I drove though:

* bright sunshine
* wild wind
* drenching rain
* snow
* horizontal-flying hail

in 5 minute or so permutations.  Bizarre.

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

Everything out here (0.00 / 0)
Police directing traffic at our one traffic light, everything else is closed.

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.
[ Parent ]
frogs ? n/t (4.00 / 3)


note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
[ Parent ]
Nice (4.00 / 2)
JB, I think I may be the only one who gets your Haggadah references. . . .
[ Parent ]
uh-uh.... (4.00 / 1)
not when you have an ex New Yawk City boy among you.....I thought fire accompanying the hail would be a little more likely, though :-)
[ Parent ]
Which begs the question: (0.00 / 0)
who's playing Pharaoh in this scene?

They. Don't. Care.
We do.
Rinse, repeat.
[ Parent ]
Mid-afternoon report from Durham region--internets are slow! (4.00 / 1)
When Will Power Be Restored to Durham?
Power was expected to be returned to the major trunk line in Durham today ... possibly by 3PM.  It has been restored to Main Street as far as the Town Office.  PSNH crews are now working on Old Concord Road and along Mast Road to restore major circuits.  Residents should expect that individual neighborhoods and homes with wires down will not be the immediate priority but will be addressed as soon as possible. The storm damage is equivalent to last year's ice storm as far as we can determine but unlike last year when there were only downed tree limbs - this year entire trees have fallen.  PSNH indicated at 1:30 p.m. that there are approximately 25,000 customers without power within the Epping Service Area which includes Durham and surrounding cities/towns.  There are presently at least three PSNH crews working in Durham at the present time.  With all of this said, however, PSNH informs me that we should generally anticipate the loss of power to continue for "a few days."  See later in this update to better understand how PSNH approaches the restoration of power to affected areas.

Do You Need to Recharge Your Cell Phone?
If anyone needs to recharge their cell phones, the Durham Police Department is available on Dover Road.  

Be Sure to Check in on Neighbors Who May Need Assistance
Please take the time to touch base with your neighbors and/or friends within the community, particularly those who may need assistance, to ensure they are alright given the power outage.   If you know of someone who the Police or Fire Department should check in on as part of a wellness check, please call 868-2324.

Road Closure Update
As of mid-morning today, 14 Durham roadways were entirely or partially closed due to downed trees involved with power lines.  These included the following:  Bagdad Road, Bucks Hill Road, Canney Road, Cutts Road, Dame Road, Denbow Road, Durham Point Road (both ends), Edgewood Road, Emerson Road, Foss Farm Road, Ffrost Drive, Madbury Road, Mast Road, Mill Road, Packers Falls Road, Route 4 (intermitently), Strafford Avenue, Sumac Road, Wednesday Hill Road.

What is the PSNH Number to Call to Report a Power Outage?
To report a power outage, contact PSNH at 1-800-662-7764.

The Latest Report from PSNH
As of today (2/26/10) at 2:30 p.m., PSNH reports that approximately 264,000 PSNH customers (54 percent) are without power as a result of the wind storm that came through New York and New England overnight.                                                        

Thousands of trees are down throughout the state as a result of this storm, which caused hundreds of road closures and extensive damage to power lines and electrical equipment. Crews are also dealing with flooding in some areas near small streams and storm drains although flooding in Durham has been minimal to date.          

Although power outages are widespread throughout the state, it appears that the Seacoast and Southern regions of New Hampshire were hit hardest by this storm.                                                            

Given the number of outages and road closures, the amount of tree and branch debris that must be cleared before power can be restored, and PSNH's preliminary assessment of the damage, customers are asked to prepare for what will be a multi-day power restoration effort.            

PSNH Crews Ramping Up                                                        
PSNH currently has about 220 line and tree-trimming crews-including 75 crews that arrived early this afternoon from PSNH's sister utility Connecticut Light & Power-working to assess damage, clear debris, and restore power. PSNH continues to secure additional crews from within and outside the region. Crews will be working around-the-clock to restore service as quickly as possible.                                          

Finding crews to help has been challenging, with widespread outages in eastern Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine occupying hundreds of utility and contract crews in the region. In all, more than 700,000 customers have lost power in New York and New England.                              

PSNH Power Restoration Priorities                                              
The first priority for PSNH is to restore power to customers in emergency situations. This typically includes hospitals, nursing homes, police and fire stations, and customers on life-support systems. Major circuits and lines serving the largest concentrations of people are repaired next.  Once the major lines are repaired, lines feeding off of these circuits can be repaired.                                                          

Another priority for PSNH crews is removing wires from downed trees that are blocking roadways, so that communities can safely clear the debris and open up the roads for use by residents and emergency vehicles.        

Customers should be extremely cautious around downed power lines and/or damaged electrical equipment. Always assume downed wires are energized, even if they appear to be "dead," and notify PSNH of their location immediately at 1-800-662-7764.      

& on faculty road (4.00 / 1)
I live in the middle of the town, about 3 miles from Hannah's place. Main Street reopened for business around noontime. Classes were canceled but the campus has had power since midmorning Most of the residential neighborhoods have power, in spite of many toppled pine trees.  My house is one of a dozen or so dark houses in an otherwise lit-up neighborhood.

I had a wild time last night.  I was one of about 150 diehards who braved the elements to see the UNH-Binghamton women's basketball game.  Binghamton played  great; the Wildcats didn't.  I nearly drowned walking but my journey was nothing compared to the Bearcats, who faced a 6-hr bus ride home & in their case home is a rather hard place to get to even when the weather is good.  I chatted with the busdriver who seemed amazingly undaunted by the task facing him.

My power went out for good at 11:45pm just after Kim Yu-Na skated.  

[ Parent ]
Blogging on an iPhone takes patience! (4.00 / 1)
We are sitting here with the cat & two dogs listening to the generator outside and wondering if we want to replace the gas one (which we have to plug in to the outlet we had installed outside and then switch off the main and throw the circuit breaker) with one of those propane type that come on when the power goes out.

We have learned a lot about how to operate in disasters over the last 6 years.  We live on a steep windy road that eventually becomes a jeep trail that crosses the headwaters of the Lamprey after going over the crest of the "mountain".  We are always the last to get power back.  Over the past years we have had 2 severe floods, a tornado and a windsheer at the other end of town, the ice storm and now this.  We were also hit by the icestorm of 1998 because of our elevation.

I have become a bit sensitive about weather.  I helped start our farmers market and the cold rainy summers make that an interesting endeavor as well.

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

Criss Cross (0.00 / 0)
I have criss crossed most of this state in the past two days searching for a place to stay that has power and a wifi connection. From Tilton to New London to Claremont, Sunnapee, Bow and Concord to Hooksett, Manchester, Salem and Derry. The Power Outages across this state are as Governor Lynch said second only to the Ice Storm of 2008. PSNH has said that they don't have enough crews to restore power in a timely manner. They have also reportedly devoted most of their resources to the Keene area as they were the hardest hit. However, Unitil, National Grid, and NH Co - Op as reported by WMUR have worked throughout the day to reduce the number of power outages. All three of these companies, however, have less customers than PSNH. PSNH has reportedly restored power to some 30,000 customers since last night, however, they are relying heavily upon the arrival of tree removal crews from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to assist in the restoration of power. For the past two weeks in both Salem and New London crews have been marking trees (before the snow storms) and have been cutting them down. These were mainly trees that bordered roads. However, we were to have said learned our lesson from the Ice Storm of 2008 and companies such as PSNH said that they had learned much from the Ice Storm and would take preventive measures. However, it seems that PSNH may be letting some of their customers around the state down with their level of customer service as they continue to charge you for electric energy that you are not using.  
[ Parent ]
The Red Cross has a shelter in Rochester. (0.00 / 0)
The UNH Memorial building is welcoming diners and use of its warm spaces.  Also, the Snively Arena is serving as a shelter.

The Baglery in Durham has WiFi.

[ Parent ]
Continue to charge for electric energy you are not using? (0.00 / 0)
I don't know about your service, but everywhere I have ever lived, electric service is metered, and you pay only for what you use.  This is in direct contract to cable or telephone, where you pay a monthly service charge whether the service was on or not.

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. --Marcus Aurelius, courtesy of Paul Berch
[ Parent ]
Youtube also requires patience. (0.00 / 0)
Got part three of five to load.


[ Parent ]
Power Outages Reported in Southern New Hampshire | 28 comments

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