UI Provides Restoration Progress Update

Company expects majority of customers without power to be restored by Saturday, but work will continue through the weekend

ORANGE, Conn. — August 6, 2020 (2:00 p.m. EDT) — United Illuminating, subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), has completed its damage assessment and said it expects to have a majority of those customers still without power restored by the end of Saturday.

The company said it expects to make significant gains over the coming days, and announced that additional crews — including personnel from UI’s sister company, Central Maine Power — will be arriving in the days ahead to supplement the approximately 580 UI, contractor and mutual assistance field personnel already participating in the restoration effort. However, as the company focuses its restoration effort, it warned that some customers would still be without service through the weekend, and restoration work will be substantially complete by the end of the day Monday.

“We appreciate how challenging this extended outage is for our customers, especially with so many people home during the pandemic. We understand it may not be welcome news that some customers may still be without service this weekend. We ask customers to plan accordingly,” said Tony Marone, UI’s president and CEO. “Our crews and contractors continue to work diligently and safely, taking precautions to protect both themselves and the public from the spread of COVID.”

As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the company had restored approximately 50,000 customers who lost service after Tropical Storm Isaias struck on Tuesday. Another 73,000 remained without service.

Marone said the company’s response to the storm is consistent with the plans filed with the state for a storm of Isaias’ magnitude, and the company expects to complete restoration slightly ahead of the plan’s timeframe.

“The storm we got was the storm we planned for, and we will continue to work that plan night and day until every last customer is restored,” he said.

The company reminded customers to stay far away from downed wires, which can be live
and dangerous even if they show no signs of being energized. Customers are advised to keep kids and pets inside, and never drive over a downed wire. Always report any downed wires to UI at 800.722.5584 (800.CALLUI).

Report an Outage:

To report an outage, visit uinet.com or call 800.722.5584 (800.7.CALL.UI). Customers can also report outages using the company’s new mobile app, available from the Apple Store and Google Play. Or, they can report outages via UI’s mobile alerts system: text “OUT” to 839-884 (TEXT-UI). Registration is required.

Outage Alerts:

Sign up for free Outage Alerts at uinet.com to be notified by text, email or phone when you lose service and for restoration updates. Or, sign up for free text alerts by texting “REG” to 839-884 (TEXT-UI).

Additional Information:

Storm relief resources can be found by calling Connecticut’s InfoLine at 2-1-1, or by visiting www.211ct.org.

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