National Grid Increasing Staff & Work Shifts During Heavy Rains

As the remnants of tropical Storm Debby makes its way towards the Upstate region, National Grid has begun increasing its staff and extending work shifts.

The company has activated its emergency response initiative as torrential downpours, hazardous winds, and possibilities of tornadoes within the state. National Grid has already called in third-party resources, including field and tree crews. Areas that are anticipated to be hit the hardest have crews and materials on standby. Local and municipal governments, as well as customers, have been warned and will receive constant updates as the storm progresses.

The company is also reminding people to stay away from danger whenever possible. Customers are encouraged to notify National Grid of any power outages to expedite the repair process. They have also warned that gas mains may be shut off in the case of an extreme emergency. It is also advised that downed power lines are to be left alone, and to take caution around felled trees, as they could be held up by power lines.

Customers can check outage reports and get real-time outage information on National Grid’s website, nationalgridus.com. They are also encouraged to text “OUT” to 64743 to report an outage, or for more personalized alerts, text “REG” to the same number.