Power Restored For 99% Of Rhode Islanders: National Grid

PROVIDENCE, RI — Nearly all Rhode Islanders have their power back after a powerful storm hit the region earlier this week. As of Friday afternoon, less than 1,000 households were still in the dark, according to National Grid.

At the storm's peak, approximately 500,000 National Grid customers were without power, including more than 90,000 in Rhode Island. Crews were called in from as far as North Carolina and Virginia to restore power as quickly as possible, the company said.

"Our crews have been working tirelessly since the storm began and have made great progress, but
we still have a great deal of work to do in order to get every customer restored," said Michael
McCallan, the vice president of New England Electric Operations. "As we get to repairs within
individual neighborhoods, the work is more time-intensive and complex. For example, on the
Massachusetts South Shore, the storm has damaged an estimated 150 poles. Our crews are
working safely to repair this significant damage, but setting poles is a labor-intense process that
can take up to eight hours for a single pole."

The remaining outages are dotted across Rhode Island, with most expected to be restored by the end of the day Friday.

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

Related: Rhode Island's Peak Wind Gusts, Rainfall During Oct. 27 Storm