NYSEG Crews Make Progress on Storm Recovery as High Winds and Heavy Snow Continue for a Second Night

Binghamton, NEW YORK � November 21, 2016 � NYSEG, a subsidiary of AVANGRID (NYSE:AGR), reports approximately 6,500 of its customers are without power across the state. The company has been working since early Sunday to maintain service as strong winds and wet, heavy snow have swept across the state. The restoration efforts has included 125 line crews backed by several hundred support and logistics personnel with assistance from more than 100 line crews from area contractors, neighboring utilities, the company's sister utilities in New York and Connecticut, plus an additional 30 tree removal crews. Deep snow and slippery roads have caused multiple traffic accidents, contributing to the number of broken poles and downed power lines. The travel conditions have also added to the difficulties for NYSEG's crews traveling and working on the roadside.

NYSEG expects to restore power to customers in most areas by late this evening with particular concern for customers who have been without power for a full day or longer. The restoration work is likely to continue into Tuesday for customers in portions of Columbia, Sullivan, and Rensselaer counties, where the heavy snow and high winds have slowed restoration efforts and customers continue to report new outages.

As of 4:00 p.m. Monday, the storm has knocked out power to more than 52,000 homes and businesses. The number of outages reached a peak of 20,500 on Sunday afternoon.

Customers can get the latest outage counts; outage locations by county, municipality and streets/roads; and estimated restoration times (as they are available) on the company's website:  NYSEG Outage Information.

Estimated times for restoration will be updated throughout the day as the company completes its assessment of the damage and assigns crews. Estimated times for restoration may also change if continuing stormy weather delays progress or causes further outages.

NYSEG also encourages customers to sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates throughout the day automatically by phone, text, or e-mail as the company updates the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up by visiting the NYSEG website at http://www.nyseg.com/YourAccount/AboutAlerts.html.

NYSEG Power Restoration Priorities
NYSEG's first priority is responding to known incidents of downed power lines to make the situations safe. (Customers are asked to call 1.800.572.1131 to report downed wires.) Once this vital public safety work is complete, the company will:

• Assess the damage to the electricity delivery system.
• Develop a detailed restoration plan.
• Make repairs as quickly as possible.

How We Go About Restoring Power Following Major Storms
We first repair the backbone of the electricity system � transmission lines and substations � that bring electricity to the local distribution system that serves our customers. We then make any necessary repairs to the distribution system that includes the poles and power lines along streets and roads, focusing first on those circuits where we can restore power to the largest number of customers. As part of this process, we take into account the needs of hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police stations, as well as any other critical infrastructure. This is a time-proven process that ensures we safely restore service as quickly and efficiently as possible.
NYSEG offers the following reminders:

During a Power Interruption

• Contact neighbors to see if their power is off. A loss of power may be the result of a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker.
• To report a power interruption, contact NYSEG at 1.800.572.1131. Our telephone systems let callers report the problem, help our crews respond quickly and efficiently, and provide customers with power interruption updates. Because many people may be trying to reach us during a power interruption, phone lines may be busy. Anyone who has access to a working computer or mobile device during a power interruption can also report the interruption online at nyseg.com. 
•  Listen to a battery-powered radio for weather and power restoration updates.
• Turn off major appliances (electric water heaters, refrigerators and freezers) and sensitive electronic equipment (TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers, audio equipment) to prevent overloading and possible damage when power is restored. Turning off this equipment may mean unplugging it, turning off a circuit breaker or removing a fuse for the circuit that provides power to this equipment. Leave one light switch �on� to know when power has been restored.
• Don't use a natural gas or propane range to heat your home.
• Never use outdoor grills or stoves inside.
• Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible. Most food will last 24 hours if you minimize the opening of refrigerator and freezer doors.

After Power Is Restored

• If a basement or home was flooded, customers should have an electrician check the home and have a plumbing and heating contractor check natural gas appliances before contacting NYSEG to have services turned on.
• Turn on appliances and sensitive electronic equipment one at a time to avoid overloading circuits.
• Replenish emergency supplies used during the storm.
• Additional storm safety information is available at nyseg.com (click on �Outage Central� and then on �Storm Safety�).