News Release
WMECo Restores Power to 52,000 Customers in 48 Hours
Crews Lauded For Diligence and Safety
Springfield, Mass. (November 1, 2012) – WMECo has restored power to 52,000 customers within 48 hours of Hurricane Sandy ripping through our region and knocking out power. As of yesterday evening the company’s service area of 59 cities and towns had power. Now, all 150 out-of state contract crews along with a contingent of WMECo line workers and transmission crews are heading to Connecticut to help in its massive restoration effort.
“I am proud of the work of our crews and employees during our storm response and restoration,” said WMECo President Peter Clarke. “It was a tough, round-the-clock, company-wide effort requiring extraordinary coordination and communication between workers and customers and I believe we succeeded on every level – with no injuries and an excellent all-round performance.”
Western Massachusetts’ hill towns took the brunt of the storm with high winds causing heavy tree damage. As electricity was being restored in the Pioneer Valley and surrounding towns, WMECo crews and contractors converged on the hill towns, completing the restoration work by Wednesday evening and meeting the company’s projections.
Before, during and after this historic storm WMECo kept in constant contact with customers, first responders and community leaders using web-based tools, municipal liaisons and direct outreach. At times the company made as many as 100,000 calls per hour, making a total of more than 500,000 calls updating customers with the latest information.
Western Massachusetts Electric Company, a Northeast Utilities company (NYSE:NU), serves approximately 210,000 customers in 59 communities throughout western Massachusetts and is committed to the environment, economic development and the health of the communities it serves. For more information, please visit our website: