Hurricane Irene Update from Durham Town Administrator, Todd Selig:
Hurricane Irene Update
Tuesday, 8/30/11, 11:30AMDear Members of the Community,
The N.H. Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reported at 5 AM that approximately 34,000 electric customers state-wide were still without power.
PSNH utility crews arriving in Durham late yesterday afternoon worked hard to address a variety of power challenges here. A number of roadways were reopened. Many, but not all, customers had power restored.
Today there are 4 utility crews working in town as well as tree removal crews.
In Durham there are approximately 3,127 utility customers total. Yesterday afternoon there were around 1,300 customers without power. At this time the number of customers without power is at 665.
PSNH anticipates that the great majority of Durham will have power restored by this evening.
Reinforcement power crews from Tennessee have arrived in the region to supplement PSNH forces. The weather is perfect for power restoration.
Residents are asked to let the PSNH crews go about their business when they are signted in town. A PSNH supervisor has contacted the Town to indicate that if we want the crews to go about resoring power, they cannot spend time in the field answering questions from residents. Please be considerate of this challenge on the part of PSNH employees.
DURHAM CLOSED ROADWAYS
The Durham listing of closed roadways associated with PSNH power lines is as follows to the best of our knowledge given the fact that PSNH crews are now operational in town:
- Bagdad Road at Sophie Lane
- Packers Falls Road 100 yards from Newmarket town line
- Adams Point Road
Town has been in touch with PSNH over the course of the day and will continue to do so until power is restored.
If residents have specific concerns about road closures, please contact the Durham Department of Public Works at (603) 868-5578. The Public Works Department is not able to remove downed trees that involve power lines hence the reliance on PSNH.
DO NOT ASSUME PSNH KNOWS YOU HAVE NO POWER
Residents without power should not assume the power company knows that they have no power even if the outage was previously called in.
At times, the utility company will address the problem believed to be causing the power outage and after doing so will “clear” the circuit with the assumption that all power service has been restored within that circuit even though it may not be fully restored. If you do not let the power company know you still do not have power, the company will not know.
If your neighborhood does not have power, don’t hesitate to let the Public Works Department know at (603) 868-5578 so that we can continue to advocate for power restoration in your neighborhood.
WHO TO CALL TO REPORT A POWER OUTAGE
During a power outage, residents who obtain power from Public Service of New Hampshire should contact PSNH directly at 1-800-662-7764 to report their outage.
For a limited number of Durham households who obtain electricity from New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), the phone number to report outages is 1-800-343-6432.
For a limited number of Durham households who obtain electricity from Unitil, the phone number to report outages is 1-866-761-6645.
DOWNED POWER LINES SAFETY TIPS
Residents are encouraged to be aware of hazards associated with downed power lines.
- Consider all wires ENERGIZED and dangerous. Even lines that are de-energized may become energized at any time.
- Stay at least 10 feet away from the wire.
- Electricity can travel through the ground. Therefore, a live wire touching the ground can harm you even if you don't touch the wire.
- Electricity can also travel through tree limbs. Never remove tree limbs or other items that are touching or near a downed wire.
- Never use any object to move a downed wire.
- If a broken power line should fall on your vehicle:
- Stay inside the vehicle until help arrives, as your car may be energized.
- Warn others not to touch the vehicle and have them call for help.
- If you must leave the vehicle, jump as far away as possible with both feet landing on the ground at the same time. DO NOT touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time.
- If someone makes contact with a downed power line, don't try to rescue them because you risk becoming a victim yourself. Call 911.
UNH CONTINUES TO KEEP THE HAMEL RECREATION CENTER OPEN TO RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS FOR SHOWERS AND FOR USE AS A RESPITE AREA IF NEEDED
The University of New Hampshire has graciously opened its Hamel Recreation Center up to residents and UNH students for showers and as a respite location. The facility is located at 128 Main Street, Durham, NH [MAP] and is open at this time.
A thank you is extended to UNH for this community focused effort in supporting residents at a time of distress.
WHO TO CALL IN DURHAM FOR GENERAL ASSISTANCE
If residents need general assistance, they may contact either the Durham Fire Department at 868-5531 or the Durham Police Department at 868-2324.
Residents with an emergency are urged to call 911.
TUNE IN TO THE TOWN’S LIST SERVER FOR EMERGENCY INFORMATION AS WELL AS THE TOWN’S WEB SITE
As has been the case in the past, the Town has endeavored to issue public service alerts as needed to keep the community informed of emergency situations in town. Please encourage people who may not regularly subscribe to the weekly “Friday Updates” to sign up to receive public service broadcasts via the “Friday Updates” broadcast system via a portal on the Town’s home page at www.ci.durham.nh.us.
JOINT DURHAM-UNH OPERATIONAL COMMAND CENTER ACTIVATED FOR STORM EVENT
To ensure limited personnel were optimally deployed on Saturday, at 6 AM a Joint Operation Command Center was activated at the Durham Fire Department for police, fire, UNH, and public works forces.
This approach proved extremely successful in Leaning up our emergency response. Where two to three vehicles from various agencies were required in the past to confirm a problem and then direct the appropriate equipment to address it, now one vehicle was frequently able to handle the issue freeing up other staff to address myriad other challenges over the course of the day yesterday.
Compliments are extended to the Durham Fire Department and Chief Corey Landry for this Kaizen suggestion.
We appreciate everyone’s patience as the Public Works Department and PSNH work to open roadways and restore power to residents.
Todd
Todd I. Selig, Administrator
Town of Durham, NH
T. 603.868.5571 || F. 603.868.5572
tselig@ci.durham.nh.us || www.ci.durham.nh.us
No comments:
Post a Comment