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ON THE HEELS OF HURRICANE SANDY, NATIONAL GRID AGAIN READIES CREWS AND EQUIPMENT IN NEW ENGLAND FOR MID-WEEK NOR’EASTER

National Grid Reminds Customers to Prepare and Stay Safe As Another Storm Heads Toward New England

Waltham, Mass. – National Grid is reminding customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to prepare for the first Nor’easter of the season as it barrels toward the northeast coast today. The company also wants customers to know it is ready and prepared to respond to power outages that could occur as a result of high winds, heavy rain, and even some heavy wet snow the weather system is expected to bring Wednesday night into Thursday.

“While this storm is not expected to be of the magnitude we experienced during Hurricane Sandy, it still could cause damage to our system in New England,“ said Kathy Lyford, vice president of Electric Operations in New England. “We are developing plans so that we are ready to respond to service interruptions, but we also want our customers to be aware, monitor the weather, and take precautions so that they remain safe during this storm.”

Company officials are closely monitoring the storm system and have begun storm preparations across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including keeping supplemental crews on hand who worked during Sandy as well as bringing in additional crews. National Grid also has implemented its storm command system to coordinate all preparation and restoration-related activities. The Emergency Planning team has begun to work with state and local officials to ensure a coordinated response, and National Grid will be providing timely and regular updates for the public. A call has been placed to all life support customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who have registered with the company, alerting them to the potential for severe weather and advising them to take appropriate precautions.

Storm-Smart Tips

National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions do occur.

People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a life support customer, call the company’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-322-3223.

It’s a good idea to have a number of working flashlights, at least one battery-operated radio and an extra supply of batteries in your home. A radio is a good way to stay in touch, as National Grid provides news media with timely information regarding service restoration efforts.

If you plan to use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to only operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, be sure to disconnect from National Grid’s system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could jeopardize crew safety.

If you lose power, turn off any appliances that were on when the power went off, but leave one light on so you will know when power is restored.

After the storm, be sure never to touch downed power lines, and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires. If you see one, report it immediately to National Grid or your local emergency response organization.

Power problems can sometimes interrupt public water supply systems or disable well pumps, so it’s an especially good idea to keep a supply of bottled drinking water handy, as well as some canned food.

Also, post National Grid’s toll-free emergency outage reporting number—1-800-465-1212—near your telephone so it will be handy if needed. Calling the company if you experience an outage can expedite restoration.

National Grid provides a number of channels for customers to learn about service issues and interruptions and to report outages during storms. Customers can receive free text message alerts and updates by texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743). E-mail alerts are available to customers who create an online profile on the company’s website. All alert services can be started and stopped at the customer’s request. National Grid also provides storm and restoration updates through Facebook and Twitter.

National Grid provides real-time outage information, including the option to report an outage at ww.nationalgridus.com in the Outage Central section of the company web pages. Customers also can access Outage Central by entering the web address on their mobile device.

NATIONAL GRID

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up’.

In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country.

National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

For more information please visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com.

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