12K Rhode Islanders Still Without Power: Tips To Stay Safe

RHODE ISLAND — Thousands of Rhode Islanders woke up still in the dark Thursday after a powerful storm slammed southern New England over the past few days.

Outages were down to about 12,000 Thursday morning, down from more than 90,000 the previous day. National Grid estimated that some residents could be in the dark for several days, with estimated restoration times as late as Friday evening for some areas.

"I’m proud of our crews who have continued to work safely in very challenging conditions to restore power so many of customers, but we’re very mindful that our job is not done until every customer is restored," said Michael McCallan, the vice president of New England Electric Operations with National Grid. "Today we continue our focus on restoring our remaining impacted customers as safely and quickly as possible, while also working to provide more refined estimated times for restoration."

Washington County had about half of the remaining outages as of Thursday morning, while Providence County was down below 1,000.

See power outages by county on National Grid's website, or check out the interactive power outage map.

Until the power comes back on, follow these tips to stay safe while using a generator, from the Tiverton Police Department and the National Fire Protection Association

• Always use generators outdoors, in well-ventilated areas away from doors, windows and air vents. Never use a generator inside an attached garage, even if the door is open.
• Ensure carbon monoxide alarms are installed and properly functioning in the house. Position the generator so that exhaust fumes do not enter doors or windows.
• Connect appliances directly to the generator using high-quality, heavy-duty extension cords.
• Never refuel a generator while it is running. Spilling gas on a hot engine can cause a fire.