Crews prepare for possible power outages in Massachusetts due to rain and high winds – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) – Get out your umbrellas, rain boots and coats – Eastern Massachusetts is in for a messy day of rain and wind.

Strong winds were expected Wednesday afternoon and evening as temperatures climbed into the low 60s, with gusts of 40 to 60 miles per hour, raising the risk of tree damage and power outages.

National Grid, which serves hundreds of communities across the state, said it was prepared to respond to service interruptions Wednesday evening and Thursday.

“We currently have more than 700 crews and over 1,600 field personnel ready to respond to outages. We have also engaged approximately 300 external teams from Canada. “So we have people on site and we’re ready to get started,” said National Grid’s Chris Milligan.

Eversource, the state’s other major utility, said it would also bring in additional workers if the bad weather hits. Line crews typically cannot work once winds reach 30 miles per hour.

If you see a downed line, stay away and call your utility company, local police or fire department, even if your power is out.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry and to treat any downed power line as if it were live,” Milligan said.

It was raining heavily in Boston on Wednesday afternoon, and city officials had not identified any problems with wind or street flooding. The rain should ease shortly after midnight.

“Whenever there is a severe storm like this, we work closely with Boston Water and Sewer to make sure the drainage system is operational,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston Street Director.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s snow mitigation team updated residents on storm preparations for the coming winter months.

“We have 175 in-house pieces of equipment on site and ready to go, and with the help of our contractors we can deploy more than 800 parts on site,” Franklin-Hodge said.

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