RG&E Restorations Continue to Progress, Will Work Through the Night - 9:15 pm

Company continues to onboard additional crews to bolster restoration efforts 

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — December 13, 2021, 9:15 p.m. — Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) continues to bolster its workforce to complete restoration efforts and crews will continue working around the clock until every customer is restored. Currently, approximately 1,990 customers are without power in Monroe County. All customers who are not restored this evening are expected to be restored tomorrow. 

The remaining pockets of customers without power include many instances of damaged infrastructure that is challenging to access for field crews or requires time consuming repair in order to restore service. Additionally, the majority of these incidents impact 100 or less customers, including numerous single customer outages. As a result, the necessary cleanup, reconstruction and restoration will be labor-intensive and time consuming. Crews will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore customers. 

Overnight Work Plan 

The crews will continue their work during the overnight period. The company advises that customers may see crews in their yards through the night as work will include restoration efforts in backlots. To streamline tomorrow’s restoration efforts, overnight crews will also work on setting new poles, allowing for morning crews to hang wires and restore power efficiently.

As crews work to make repairs, it’s possible that some customers that have already been restored may experience scattered outages that are necessary to complete additional work. Customers are encouraged to continue checking their estimated times of restoration as times are being further refined as progress is made. The company continues to express its appreciation and empathy for customers that experienced a disruption in service.

Crew Information 

The company has continued to add more crews throughout the day and currently has nearly 1,200 field resources dedicated to restoration efforts in the Rochester area. More crews are expected to arrive this evening and will work throughout the overnight period. 

After Restoration 

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.

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