Governor also visiting staging location. NEWPORT — Gov. Gina Raimondo held a media availability Tuesday morning to provide an update on National Grid's response to widespread gas outages in Newport County. She is then scheduled to visit the staging location at Gurney's Resort on Goat Island at 12:15 p.m. The Newport Daily News will provide updates throughout the day on this situation.<doc-sep>Weather Governor Declares State of Emergency in Newport For Gas Outage Over 7,000 National Grid customers in Newport and Middletown are without heat Monday night due to a gas outage. Reply NEWPORT, RI -- Updated at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday: Governor Gina Raimondo has declared a state of emergency in Newport County after more than 7,100 National Grid customers lost gas service Monday. With temperatures in the single digits, Raimondo says the top priority is making sure residents are someplace warm and safe. According to the National Grid website, more than 1,000 worker sare being deployed to the area to assess the situation and continue restoration efforts. The area has been declared safe, and the company stated it has the situation under control. READ MORE: 5 Ways To Stay Safe During The Gas Emergency "If you do not have heat this evening, do not stay in your homes overnight," Raimondo said during a press conference at 11 p.m. on Monday. "This is a major event...we all have to help each other." I've declared a state of emergency in Newport County and have activated the National Guard to assist residents. — Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) January 22, 2019 @GovRaimondo has declared a State of Emergency for Newport County after National Grid has shut off gas to 7,000 residential customers. The Governor said it is not safe for people to stay in their homes w/o heat tonight. Call 211 for assistance with shelter, rides, etc. — Rhode Island EMA (@RhodeIslandEMA) January 22, 2019 National Grid reported a low-pressure issue just before noon Monday near Old Mill Lane in Portsmouth. According to a National Grid official, the issue was repaired, and service is being restored to several hundred residents in Middletown. However, gas service has been cut to over 6,700 Newport customers for safety reasons, as sufficient pressure cannot be restored at this time. We are currently experiencing a low gas pressure situation affecting several hundred customers in RI: Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth. Teams are assessing the situation & will continue to provide updates. This restoration process may be a multi-day event for those impacted. 1/2 — National Grid US (@nationalgridus) January 22, 2019 Unlike in a power outage, he continued, each home must be individually entered and each meter addressed individually. This process could take several days. UPDATED STORY: National Grid Says Restoration Effort Will Take Several Days A warming shelter has been set up at Gaudet Middle School in Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown. Raimondo said another warming shelter has been set up at the University of Rhode Island's Memorial Union, with overflow going to the Ryan Center. Anyone who is unable to evacuate on their own can call 211 for assistance in getting transportation. According to Raimondo, the local National Guard has been deployed to the area and will be on call to assist with evacuations. Residents can also call a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Lyft, and National Grid will reimburse customers later for the expense. National Grid will also reimburse anyone affected who stays at a hotel. Residents across Rhode Island are urged to check in on friends and loved ones in Newport to make sure they are safe and have somewhere warm to go Monday night. Due to the late hour, there is a concern for residents who may have gone to bed before becoming aware of the situation. "If you have heat, please, call your loved ones, your church members, anyone in the area, offer for them to stay over at your house . Make sure they have a warm place to stay tonight," Raimondo urged during her press conference.<doc-sep>As Newport and Middletown continue to deal with the gas outage, National Grid provided an update to their efforts to restore service to customers. As Newport and Middletown continue to deal with the gas outage, National Grid provided an update to their efforts to restore service to customers. Here are seven takeaways from the 11:30 a.m. press conference. • In Middletown, 198 customers have had their service restored. Approximately 140 customers remain without gas service. • In Newport, there are approximately 6,500 customers without gas. Of that number approximately 5,600 have had their gas shut off. The effort to return service to any Newport customers can't begin until all customers have had their gas turned off. • National Grid officials said they have more than 1,000 total resources providing service, including more than 400 National Grid technicians, more than 200 contractors and 200 customer liaison personal. • National Grid officials said they have been told some customers are trying to turn gas on themselves. They warned customers to not do so, emphasizing that it's an "unsafe practice." • Even though temperatures are rising, Newport Mayor Jamie Bova asked residents to leave their homes if they do not have heat. • If you have currently have gas service, National Grid officials said you will not lose service. • National Grid officials discussed the use of locksmiths to enter homes, explaining that their terms allow them to access their equipment. They called it a "longstanding practice."<doc-sep>
Russia: Crimean PM hails renewed Russian gas supply to Ukraine's Genichesk More than 7,000 people are battling sub-zero temperatures after National Grid shut off the gas supply on Monday due to a “low pressure” issue. The City of Newport, Rhode Island, wrote on Facebook the problem originated on Aquidneck Island but had since spread to Newport and Middletown. People are having to fend in bone-numbing temperatures in the same week killer Storm Harper blasted midwest and northeastern USA. At least six people have died so far as at least a foot of snow (30cm) fell in areas including New York City, Boston and northern New England. Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo called the state of emergency on Monday night citing it a “major event” at a press conference. She later tweeted: “Warming centers are open at CCRI's Newport campus, Newport Heights and Donovan Manor. “The Potter League for Animals will be open overnight to accept pets from those seeking shelter. “If you need to stay in a hotel or call an Uber or Lyft to get to shelter because of the outage, save your receipts and @nationalgridus will reimburse you. Newport National Grid gas outage: Newport, Rhode Island, left, a gas station, right “It may be a week or more until every impacted customer is restored." Which homes are affected? More than 6,700 Newport customers have had their gas supply cut off, with the remaining number being from Aquidneck Island. Temperatures are already below freezing and could drop to a bone-chilling -10C later on. Newport National Grid gas outage: Temperatures are below freezing in Newport County In its latest update at 8.32am local time (1.30pm GMT), the City of Newport, RI, posted on Facebook: “Work to address the ongoing natural gas outage continues across Newport and Middletown. “We’ll be issuing an update on the situation in this space shortly.” National Grid plans to start restoring gas from today but the “methodical” work involved “could be a multiple day process”. All Newport schools have been closed as a precaution. However, Newport Hospital, and the City’s nursing homes Heatherwood, Village House, and the St. Clare Home all have heat. Newport National Grid gas outage: Newport County is less than 200 miles from New York