Rhode Island Energy has issued an alert in advance of the winter storm expected to impact the state Thursday night into Friday. Read the text of the alert below.
The forecast is calling for heavy rain, potentially damaging winds and the possibility of coastal flooding to impact Rhode Island early Friday morning, continuing into the night and part of the day on Saturday.
With a storm of this magnitude, we expect that there will be power outages.
We understand it would be difficult to be without power during the holiday season. We want you to know that we’re ready to respond. Our crews are mobilizing for the storm, will be pre-staged across the state and will work as safely and quickly as possible to restore power to impacted customers.
Some reminders:
- Make sure you keep your phones and other devices charged.
- Just in case you lose power, it’s good to have an emergency kit on hand with food, water, medication, and any pet supplies you may need.
- Remember that candles can start fires. If you lose power, use flashlights instead.
- If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away.
- If you lose power and are using a portable generator, be sure the main breaker is off before using.
- Never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.
While we prepare for this storm, we ask that you also take preparations to stay safe and minimize the impact of a potential outage for you and your family.
To stay informed during the storm, sign up for text outage alerts. You can customize alerts to receive a phone call, text message, or email for real-time outage information, including restoration estimates and updates. To sign up for outage text notifications, text REG to RIEOUT (743688).
You can also stay connected during a weather event by following us on social media @WeAreRIEnergy.
If you do lose power, you can report it online here or call 855-743-1102.