Chief Marshall met with our National Grid regional representative a few minutes ago here at the Portsmouth Emergency Operations Center (EOC.) The current plan is to send National Grid crews and equipment to Prudence Island tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM.
National Grid is very aware of the power situation on Prudence. Their regional representative is stationed here in the Portsmouth EOC. He is doing a good job of getting crews and resources to the island as quickly as possible.
The Portsmouth Police Department has extended the parking ban in Portsmouth until 7:00 PM Sunday evening. This will allow the DPW road crews to continue their snow removal work. Please cooperate with this parking ban – our Public Works employees have been working very long hours to keep us all moving safely.
Electric power has been restored to most National Grid customers in Portsmouth. 392 customers in Portsmouth are still without power. If your power is still out, please call 1 800 465 1212 to report the outage. Call even if you have previously reported the outage.
Power is out on all of Prudence Island. Many lines are down on Prudence. These lines must be repaired or made safe before power can be restored to Prudence. Crews are working to address these issues and National Grid is making plans now to bring additional resources to the island.
Watch this blog for additional storm recovery updates.
All roads in Portsmouth are passable. Secondary roads may have some snow cover, especially in areas prone to snow drifting. Allow extra time for any travel and exercise normal winter driving precautions. If you are not an experienced winter driver, it may be best to delay or postpone your travel plans for a day or two.
Electric power has been restored to many parts of town. Common Fence Point is still without power at this time. If you are running a generator please use extreme caution to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning danger. Never run a generator indoors or in an attached garage (even with the garage door open.) Make sure your home’s carbon monoxide detectors are functioning properly by exercising the detector’s test function. Do not use a gasoline powered generator if you do not have at least one functioning carbon monoxide detector in your home.
Emergency shelters are open in Middletown and Tiverton. If you or someone you know needs shelter but is unable to get to a shelter, call the Portsmouth Fire Department at 683-1200. Extra personnel and vehicles have been allocated for shelter transportation duty. Based on the demand we have experienced so far, no shelters are open in Portsmouth at this time. Contingency plans are in place to quickly open emergency warming centers in Portsmouth if the need arises.
Check on neighbors, friends, and relatives. If you have concerns for the safety or welfare of a neighbor or any Portsmouth resident, don’t hesitate to contact the Portsmouth Fire department at 683-1200 or the Portsmouth Police Department at 683-0300.
Let us know if you have had power restored in the last hour or so.
Town goal to have all local roads “passable” by 6:00 PM tonight and to resume clearing roads at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Crews expected to work most of next week removing additional snow to improve visibilty and remove hazards.
Gov. Chaffee lifted travel ban on state roads at 4:00 PM today. Roads in Portsmouth are still being cleared, drivers are urged to avoid non-essential travel.
Here is an update regarding the status of power outages in POrtsmouth. Power has been restored to approximeately 30 percent of our residents at this time.
If you do not have power, there is a possibility that power will not be restored for you by evening. If you are elderly, have infants, of have a physical diability and If you have no heat source in your house,you should seek shelter with family or neighbors who do have heat. If you cannot find warm shelter, Red Cross Emergency Shelters are available at the Gaudet Middle School at __1113 Aquidneck Ave__________ or the Tiverton Middle School at __10 Quintal Drive___________.
If you are unable to transport yourself to a heated location and feel that you are in danger, please call us at _683 1200_.
The Red Cross shelter at Gaudet Middle School will be open at 9:30 AM today. Please use the Turner Road entrance to the school.
Portsmouth is in the process of preparing to open Portsmouth Middle School as a warming center. School personnel have been at the school since 5:30 AM attending to the emergency generator and the heating plant. Crews are clearing snow now to make the school accessible. Further details when available.
Saturday 3:30 AM – The Town’s Fire, Police, and Public Works Departments have been working tirelessly through the night to make sure our citizens are safe. A major house fire was successfully contained with all occupants being safely evacuated. Many road blockages have been cleared, but trees are still blocking some roads.
Power lines are down in many neighborhoods. The power distribution system has suffered considerable damage. It appears unlikely that electric power will be restored to much, if any, of the town by morning. It is impossible to know when power will be restored for everyone in Portsmouth. Town officials are working with our local and state partners to open warming centers and emergency shelters as quickly as possible. Watch this space for further updates on warming centers and shelters.
