Power Outages Impact Thousands in Rhode Island

Utility crews working to restore power in Central Falls during significant outages.

News Summary

Over 10,000 residents in Central Falls and Valley Falls experienced significant power outages on Monday morning, with numbers peaking at around 30,000 customers without electricity. Restoration efforts are underway, with nearly 100 crews working to restore power, expected to be completed by Sunday night. Utility companies face ongoing challenges due to holiday observances and technical issues with their outage mapping systems. Nearby regions also reported thousands of outages, emphasizing the widespread impact of this power disruption.

Central Falls, Rhode Island – More than 10,000 residents in Rhode Island experienced significant power outages on Monday morning. As reported at 11:30 a.m., there were approximately 10,345 customers without electricity, primarily affecting the Central Falls and Valley Falls areas. Utility restoration efforts have rapidly progressed, resulting in the outage count decreasing dramatically to just 10 customers still affected by midday.

The Rhode Island Energy President provided an update on ongoing restoration initiatives, indicating that full power restoration is expected by Sunday night. To expedite the process, nearly 100 crews are actively working on site, and additional assistance from out-of-state crews is anticipated to further support restoration efforts.

Despite the steady progress in restoring power, challenges remain due to ongoing holiday observations. The utility company’s outage mapping system encountered significant IT issues during the early morning, complicating the response process. As a result, officials advised customers to refrain from relying on the outage map temporarily, which is serviced by a third-party vendor, and to check for updates directly.

At one peak point during the morning, around 30,000 customers were reported as being without power, with approximately 60,000 customers affected at the highest level of outages throughout Rhode Island. By 10 p.m. that day, the outage map indicated there were 12,546 outages still reported.

In addition to the local impacts in Rhode Island, nearby regions also experienced outages. Governor Dan McKee’s office shared that National Grid reported about 1,243 customers without power in Bristol County, while Eversource logged 3,905 outages in Eastern Massachusetts. Customers in the most heavily impacted areas can expect power restoration by midnight, particularly in the hardest-hit communities by midday Saturday.

This situation underlines the challenges faced by utility companies during significant weather events or disruptions that affect power distribution networks. The local electricity providers are working diligently to restore services and keep affected residents informed about the status of their service restoration.

Residents are encouraged to monitor local updates on the power restoration efforts and to reach out to their utility providers for the latest information on service availability. By staying informed, customers can manage their expectations and prepare accordingly as the situation continues to develop.