RG&E Releases Daily Storm Restoration Work Plan, Assigns Crew to Every Remaining Major Outage - 6:45 am

Company expects to restore 95% of customers today

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — December 13, 2021, 6:45 a.m. —  Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) has released its daily restoration plan for work that will be completed on Monday. The company announced that crews have been assigned every major outage and expects to restore 95 percent of customers by 11:30 p.m. today, with the remaining outages being restored Tuesday (12/14). Currently, approximately 7,786 customers are without power in Monroe county.

Details of Monday’s Work Plan Include

Resource and Crewing Information: The company continues to onboard additional resources to expedite restoration efforts in the Rochester region. Saturday’s storm caused numerous trees to have fallen down that blocked roads, broke poles and downed wires. RG&E’s damage assessors reported roughly 600 downed wires and 118 broken poles.

Operational Expectations: Every remaining major outage has been assigned to a crew today and will be worked on until repairs are complete and power is restored. This will include a heavy focus on setting poles to replace those damaged in the storm and hanging new wire. As crews restore the larger outages, they will move on to address the outages will smaller customer counts. For the safety of our crews and the public, the company reminds customers to please stay away from downed wires and do not approach crews.

After Restoration 

RG&E encourages any customer without power after restoration is complete to contact the company at 800.743.1701 to report the issue and allow crews to investigate. Once every customer is restored, the company will continue to fix remaining damage that occurred but did not affect customers or the reliability of service. That will then be followed by a full system sweep of all affected circuits to look for damage or issues that may have been missed but that could cause service disruptions in the future. The system will then be returned to normal conditions.

RG&E will continue to provide updates throughout the event to the general public on the company’s social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). The company also offer customers the following reminders to prepare for the storm and stay safe if power outages do occur.

Outage Information: 

  • Sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates automatically by phone, text, or email as the company updates the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up for outage alerts by visiting here for RG&E.
  • You can use our new mobile app to report and check the status of outages. To download the application, customers should search “AVANGRID” in the Apple or Android app stores and select “RG&E”. The application is free to download. 

Stay Away From Downed Wires

  • Stay at least 30 feet from a downed power line.
  • If a downed wire comes in contact with your vehicle, stay inside and wait for help. If you must get out because of fire or other danger, jump clear of the vehicle to avoid any contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Land with your feet together and hop with feet together or shuffle away; don’t run or stride.
  • RG&E customers should call 1.800.743.1701 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.

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 RG&E at 1.800.743.1701.

Power Restoration Priorities:

The companies’ first priorities are to respond to reports of downed power lines to keep the public safe. RG&E customers are asked to call at 1.800.743.1701 to report downed wires. Once this vital public safety work is complete, the company will:

  • Assess the damage to the electricity delivery system.
  • Develop a detailed restoration plan.
  • Make repairs as quickly as possible.

For additional information, including storm preparation tips, storm safety information, generator safety information, restoration priorities and emergency resources, visit Outage Central at RGE.com and on the company's social media pages:

  • Facebook: @RochGandE 
  • Twitter: @RGandE 

RG&E is subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc.

# # #

About RG&E: Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, RG&E operates approximately 8,800 miles of electric distribution lines and 1,100 miles of electric transmission lines. It also operates approximately 10,600 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 105 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 378,500 electricity customers and 313,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region in New York surrounding the City of Rochester. For more information, visit rge.com .
 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States.  Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $39 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 7,000 people and has been recognized by Forbes and Just Capital as one of the 2021 JUST 100 companies – a list of America’s best corporate citizens – and was ranked number one within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2021 for the third consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
 

Learn about the Iberdrola Group’s global pandemic response at its COVID-19 Hub.

 
Media Contact:

Node: liferay-0:8080