FITCHBURG — Residents in North Central Massachusetts can rest easy for the time being as both Unitil and National Grid are reporting no power outages in the area.
The first blizzard of 2015 is bearing down on Central Massachusetts and may dump as much as three feet of snow before it’s done.
As of 3 p.m., Unitil was reporting that none of its 105,326 customers in Central Massachusetts were without power.
All reported outages in Middlesex County had been resolved, while there were less than 5 outages reported in Spencer, in Worcester County, with an estimated restoration time of 5:15 p.m.
Unitil sent out a press release Tuesday afternoon saying their system and regional emergency operations centers and will return to normal operations at 6 p.m. With high winds expected throughout the day, Unitil scheduled crews to stand by to respond should there be scattered outages.
With treacherous road conditions, snow drifts and strong winds forecasted to continue throughout the day, representatives are urging customers to “take precautions and stay safe until conditions improve.”
In National Grid territory, as of 9:45 a.m., there were nine power outages reported in Middlesex County. All were reported in Billerica and estimated restoration was 11:30 a.m., according to the utility’s outage map.
In Worcester County, there were less than five power outages reported, all in Charlton. National Grid was expected to have service restored by 1 p.m.
According to a statement released by Unitil, the utility has more than 100 crews system-wide, including bucket trucks, diggers, wires down teams and tree crews to provide assistance at each regional center.
Spokesman Alec O’Meara said Unitil is ready for whatever comes its way.
“As forecasted, there were blizzard-like conditions during the overnight hours,” he said. “Our crews are ready to address any wires down issues and outages that may occur as strong winds are still forecasted for much of the day. Bucket trucks will be unable to extend arms in sustained winds in excess of 35 mph, meaning conditions during the peak hours of the storm could delay restoration.”
Unitil issued the following reminders for people as snow accumulates and they begin to dig out
* Remove snow and ice carefully from a meter or outdoor appliance vent with a broom. Do not use a shovel as it can damage the meter.
* Avoid shoveling or plowing snow up against or covering the meter or pipe.
* Remove icicles from overhead eaves and gutters to assure dripping water does not freeze the meter or vent pipe. Contact a qualified roofing vendor if you cannot reach icicles yourself.
* Do not kick your gas meter in an attempt to break ice off, as this too can cause damage.
* Keeping vents and meters clear will allow for proper ventilation and can prevent carbon monoxide buildup within your home.
National Grid took to its Twitter page to keep customers informed, saying they have crews responding from 17 states to help in clean up and they have activated a number of community liaisons to help in the process.
Follow Katina Caraganis on Tout and Twitter @kcaraganis.
