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Downed/hanging electrical wires - who to report to?
By jennifersostano2001 on Thu, 03/08/2018 - 1:31pm
There is a hanging wire a few houses away from me.
After googling, it appeared that there is a specific NationalGrid 800# for this, but....
I called them and they wouldn't or couldn't enter a report for a downed/hanging wire without also entering an account #... I dug up my account# and gave it to them but then they couldn't find it - transferred me twice w/out and further success or help.
After getting transferred twice and 20 minutes I gave up and tried going through the cities http://mayors24.boston.gov/ report submission site.
Does anyone know or have an opinion on what is the appropriate/official way to report downed wires so that they are actually taken care of?
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
If the wire is in Boston...
call 311
Not 311
That's for ratting out your neighbor when they put out space savers or don't have their resident parking sticker properly displayed, or for reporting when the city does not what we pay taxes for.
Call 911 for downed wires.
Eversource not National Grid in Boston
I believe Eversource (800-592-2000) is the power supplier in Boston, not National Grid. I would follow the prompts for "electrical problem/life threatening emergency" since all downed wires should be considered "live" until a determination is made.
Stupid changing names
Remember the good old days when the gas company was Boston Gas and the electric company was Boston Edison? I can never remember that National Grid is actually my gas provider, when they sure as hell sound like an electricity company (I know that they are just that in other locations.)
And don't even get me started on the pointlessness of the name Eversource...
Here's how I remember which
Here's how I remember which company does what: "E"versource = electricity; National "G"as = gas.
Where I live, Eversource does both
In Somerville, I get two Eversource bills, one for electricity and the other for gas. Eversource took over the former Commonwealth Energy which ran gas service in my part of Somerville..
Good tip
But remember the oddity that National Grid covers electric in Hyde Park, because when all of this was being set up Hyde Park was its own town.. Or it's the other way around. Even though I'm the one who pays the utility bills each month, I still get confused between the two of them.
We have downed wires...
... all around, as well as a downed pole on my front porch.
Call 911, which will get the FD out to asses the wire(s). If you're lucky and it's only phone or cable, they'll coil the wires safely out of the way, and notify the provider(s). If they're power lines, they'll caution tape the area and notify DPW and the appropriate power company.
That's what I did last time I
That's what I did last time I saw a downed line. I mean, I tried calling Eversource first, but they had me on hold for like twenty minutes before I gave up.
The other suggestions to call 311 instead might be good alternative advice, though.
Call the local police, they
Call the local police, they will come out and check to see if it is a live wire. They will then notify whichever company to come out and repair it. They may put up orange cones too.
Eversource reporting
Go to Eversource.com, from the "I want to..." drop-down menu, click "Report / check an outage". It should prompt you to enter either the account # OR the phone # associated with the account for your residence-- I always enter the phone, because I can never remember my account number-- and then when you report the outage click on the button for "I have additional information to report" and it'll give you some choices including downed wires / poles.
Good luck and stay safe!
Call the Mayors office. I
Call the Mayors office. I was once in a battle with Verizon when a wire was hanging down into my yard. They said they'd send someone and never did. After waiting a few days I called again and i got the run-around. I waited and called again. Same deal.
After a week of them ignoring me I told them I was going to cut it and they said that was illegal. I said it was illegal for them having this wire go through my yard (I could have used it as a clothes line it was so low). I then called the Mayors office. They were out that same day:)
Good Luck!
I feel a sense of disappointment that theszak hasn't
posted an electronic listing of utilitiy websites during this french toast crisis.
Comcast
Called Comcast due to a downed wire near my building (not impacting anyone's cable that I'm aware of. I suspect it's an old wire).
They spent a ton of time confirming my account number and info. Which is totally irrelevant since the bottom line is "come to this address and fix the broken stuff".
Thank you for all the replies
I appreciate all the replies - thank you
Isn't it nice...
... that there is a clear simple procedure and protocols to report hazards to the parties responsible for addressing their danger and eliminating the hazard caused by their company property?
In hindsight
I checked out to see what the Commonwealth had to say on this. On their Winter Storm Safety Tips page, they suggest calling 911.
Do I fault others for not thinking about that? Let me put it this way- I just learned that myself.
...and if you need a reminder
...and if you need a reminder why you should respect downed lines...
http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2018/03/driver_dies_car_catches_fire_...