Nasty Storm Could Cause Outages

A nor'easter is bringing strong wind gusts and rain to the region, making the afternoon commute a potentially nasty one this afternoon.

The National Weather Service is forecasting gusts as high as 50 mph and rain for Cranston through today and into early Thursday morning. The nor'easter, which could bring more power outages and coastal damage to a region still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, is being called "Son of Sandy" by some.

The rain will turn into snow for higher elevations northwest of Providence, according to reports. High wind advisories and warnings are in effect for the region and a winter weather advisory is in place from 2 p.m. until 7 a.m.

If you lose power, call National Grid at: 1-800-465-1212

National Grid offers the following storm safety tips:

• Limit opening refrigerator and freezer doors. Without power, food will stay six to nine hours in a refrigerator without spoiling. Frozen foods will keep about 24 hours.
• If your home has flooding, check with an electrician before turning on anything.
• If you anticipate an extended outage, consider moving yourself and your family - especially those with special needs - to an alternate location.
  Consider checking on others who may benefit from your assistance. 

Items to keep in a family emergency kit:

• Water. The American Red Cross recommends one gallon of water per person per day.   
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. 
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food). 
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio. 
• Flashlight and extra batteries.   
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. 
• Blankets.  
• Emergency and key phone numbers.   
• Local maps.  
• Cell phone with chargers.  

In case you lose power, we provide multiple ways to receive up-to-date information right from your mobile device:

• Sign up for National Grid state-level broadcast text alerts by texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743). You can opt out of receiving text messages at any time by texting the word STOP to NGRID (64743).