RG&E, NYSEG prep for Hurricane Sandy

Posted at: 10/26/2012 12:18 PM

Hurricane Sandy is expected to turn towards the northeast Saturday and RG&E and NYSEG are making preparations for outages.

They want to remind customers to keep flashlights and fresh batteries on hand and make sure you have a working phone that doesn't rely on a power supply like a cordless phone. Don't forget to have enough food and water and keep your cell phone charged.

Storm prep tips:

Before a storm strikes
- Anyone who uses life-sustaining equipment that operates on electricity should contact their utility right away (NYSEG: 1.800.572.1111; RG&E: 1.800.743.2110) right away. Customers may be enrolled in a critical customer program or provided specific advice on how to prepare for power interruptions.

- Keep flashlights, a battery-powered radio or TV and fresh batteries handy.

- Have at least one telephone that is not dependent on electricity. (Cordless phones won’t work during a power interruption.)

- Keep a supply of non-perishable food and bottled water on hand.

- Make sure cell phone batteries are fully charged.

 
During a power interruption
-  Contact neighbors to see if their power is off. A loss of power may be the result of a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker.

-  To report a power interruption, contact NYSEG at 1.800.572.1131; RG&E at 1.800.743.1701. Our telephone systems let callers report the problem, help our crews respond quickly and efficiently, and provide customers with power interruption updates. Because many people may be trying to reach us during a power interruption, phone lines may be busy. Anyone who has access to a working computer during a power interruption can also report the interruption online at nyseg.com or rge.com.

- Listen to a battery-powered radio for weather and power restoration updates.

- Turn off major appliances (electric water heaters, refrigerators and freezers) and sensitive electronic equipment (TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers, audio equipment) to prevent overloading and possible damage when power is restored. Turning off this equipment may mean unplugging it, turning off a circuit breaker or removing a fuse for the circuit that provides power to this equipment. Leave one light switch “on” to know when power has been restored.

- Don’t use a natural gas or propane range to heat your home.

- Never use outdoor grills or stoves inside.

- Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible. Most food will last 24 hours if you minimize the opening of refrigerator and freezer doors.

After your power is restored
- If a basement or home was flooded, customers should have an electrician check the home and have a plumbing and heating contractor check natural gas appliances before contacting NYSEG or RG&E to have services turned on.

- Turn on appliances and sensitive electronic equipment one at a time to avoid overloading circuits.
 
- Replenish emergency supplies used during the storm.

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