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| NSTAR Stands Prepared for Hurricane Isabel
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 2003--With major Hurricane Isabel bearing down on the East Coast, NSTAR is well prepared to address any service problems that may arise from the storm. In addition to monitoring the progress of the hurricane, NSTAR has also inventoried available electrical equipment and initiated contact with outside tree crews and electrical contracting companies to ensure their immediate availability if needed. Although current weather forecasts indicate that the brunt of Hurricane Isabel will strike to the south of our region, NSTAR is taking appropriate steps to be fully prepared should the storm track further north than expected. NSTAR is conducting a series of internal conference calls as the hurricane progresses to ensure that sufficient crews, customer service personnel, vehicles and electrical equipment are readily available throughout the NSTAR service territory. BizVantage – Beyond the news: indepth on business, investment and technology. NSTAR is also issuing safety tips to keep people safe and to help customers should a disruption of service occur. IF YOUR POWER GOES OUT:STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED POWER LINES. Assume all downed wires are "live" and keep children away from puddles or fences that are near the downed wires. Persons dependent on electrically powered life support systems should have a prearranged plan with their doctor and local hospital concerning outage situations. Family members should have a list of emergency phone numbers readily available to implement the emergency plan. Check your fuses or circuit breakers to see if you are experiencing an internal problem. If possible, look out your window to see if other homes in your area are also without power. Report that information, along with other pertinent information such as downed trees, limbs or wires in your neighborhood, when you report your outage to your electric company. To report a power outage, NSTAR customers should call 1-800-592-2000. Turn off major appliances during the outage to prevent overloading the circuits in your home when the power comes back on. Leave one light switched on as a signal for when the power is restored. Surge protectors, which are available at local electronics stores, can protect solid-state equipment during an outage. EMERGENCY SUPPLIES TO KEEP HANDY:Emergency supplies should be stored in an easy to reach area that is high enough to avoid water damage. Be careful never to leave open flames unattended. -- Emergency food. Be aware of the expiration dates and replace as required. -- Flashlights. Have several and place them throughout the house. -- Portable, battery-operated radio -- Fresh batteries of the correct size for flashlights and radio. -- Candles, lanterns and matches -- Sterno for emergency food preparation. -- Manual can opener -- First aid kit -- Water for drinking, cooking and flushing. -- Blankets -- Pet food (if appropriate) NSTAR will issue updated information as dictated by the approaching storm. For more information about NSTAR, visit www.nstaronline.com.
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