Power Companies Warn of Widespread Outages

U.S.|Power companies pass that Henri could bring wide outages.

• Aug. 21, 2021, 6:06 p.m. ET

With almighty upwind gusts, dense rainfall and unsafe flooding soon expected to impact parts of the portion arsenic Hurricane Henri nears, officials crossed the New York metro country and New England are informing of imaginable wide powerfulness outages.

There is precedent for concern.

When Tropical Storm Isaias tore done the portion past summer, astir 3 cardinal customers mislaid powerfulness crossed Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Some saw extended delays for its restoration — and that tempest did not marque a nonstop hit.

Hurricane Gloria, the past hurricane to marque landfall connected Long Island, near 1.5 cardinal homes without powerfulness successful 1985.

Here’s however powerfulness companies are preparing for Henri:

• The tempest could marque landfall connected Long Island, with astir of the country nether a hurricane watch. The inferior PSEG Long Island said much than 1,200 contractors and further crews person been brought successful to help. But it warned customers that outages could past 7 to 10 days — oregon up to 2 weeks if the forecast worsens.

• Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that powerfulness companies successful different regions of New York State that could beryllium heavy affected by the storm, including National Grid and Con Edison, had besides called successful backstage contractors and further unit to assistance reconstruct power. “I person told them clearly,” helium said connected Saturday, “this is what we wage the powerfulness companies to do, to beryllium acceptable for storms.”

• In New Jersey, the state’s largest utility, Public Service Electric & Gas, told customers to hole for imaginable debris and fallen powerfulness lines but did not task an estimation for imaginable powerfulness losses.

• Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts warned that Henri could origin astatine slightest 100,000 residents — and perchance up to 300,000 — to suffer power.

• The inferior Eversource, which provides powerfulness to astir 1.2 cardinal customers successful Connecticut, said that astatine slightest fractional of them could beryllium without powerfulness for respective days aft the hurricane. The institution said it had canceled planned vacations among immoderate unit members truthful that they could assistance successful restoration efforts.