NV Energy President and CEO apologizes for outages during New Year's Eve weekend

NV Energy President and CEO Doug Cannon took to Twitter on Wednesday to apologize for the widespread power that impacted 71,000 customers during New Year's Eve weekend.

You can read the full statement below:

As President and CEO of NV Energy, I apologize for the disruption you experienced during the recent unprecedented winter storms.

We are very proud of the reliable service we provide our customers, so when outages like those experienced during the New Year's Eve storms do occur, we take that seriously and use all our resources to get your electric service restored as quickly as possible.

As we prepare for upcoming severe storms this winter, we remind you to also stay safe and take steps to be prepared. Find tips at http://nvenergy.com/outageprep.

During the outages, the company said they had additional crews from Las Vegas, Elko, and even Oregon help with restoration efforts.

Some residents say their food went bad, houses flooded and had to live out of hotels and shelters provided by the American Red Cross.

Judith Garcia, a Southwest Reno resident told us "Power company said it was going to be out one day and it will be on the next day, and it did not come on the next day."

Doug Cannon, the President & CEO of NV Energy says, "In a big storm event in Northern Nevada we might usually see 200 individual outages, so this was five times the size."

Cannon says, "What we've seen our customers go through over the last few days is something we never want to experience." He also tells us their goal is to bring power back to residents who lost it on New Year’s Eve by the end of the day today, January 4.

The company, in response to last weekend’s storm and in preparation for the coming winter storms, has brought in and staged additional lineman resources from throughout Nevada, Oregon and Utah to respond as effectively as possible to any impacts of the coming storm.

“These extra crews, when added to our existing NV Energy teams, more than triple the strength of our outage response, and help ensure we have every resource available to minimize the number and duration of outages that could result from the upcoming winter storm,” said Doug Cannon, NV Energy President and Chief Executive Officer.

For customers with no water and no electricity, many have had to find shelter elsewhere. Joesaph Bennett, a Silver Springs resident shares his thoughts. "Me and my wife we can tough it out, but having a 1, 2, and 3-year-olds in our household, there's no way that they can."

NV Energy is also offering customers who have been without power since January 1 the following services:

* NV Energy is proactively contacting each remaining customer that is out of power from the New Year’s Eve storm to ensure that they have accommodations in place.

* Green Cross customers (those requiring active use of medical equipment at home) are being prioritized for restoration and NV Energy is also ensuring that these customers have accommodations in place.

* We are working with local counties to assist customers having trouble watering their livestock because of a power outage.

“We know that these extended outages have caused tremendous stress for thousands of our customers, and it is our goal to ensure they have access to essential services in order to stay safe,” Cannon said.

Support efforts have already included a $10,000 grant from the NV Energy Foundation to the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada to aid in their response to the storm. NV Energy executives have also been reaching out to impacted customers to provide assistance and information.

NV Energy encourages customers to be prepared for upcoming winter weather and possible outages, and offers the following tips:

* Drip faucets to reduce the likelihood of a pipe rupture.

* Keep a supply of flashlights and batteries on hand. Do not use candles as they pose a fire risk.

* Charge cell phones and laptops.

* Have a supply of non-perishable foods, medicine, baby supplies and pet food, as well as one gallon of water per person per day.

* Do not run a generator inside a home or garage. Use gas-powered generators in well-ventilated areas.

* Consider all downed power lines as live and dangerous. If you see one, stay away and call 911 and NV Energy to report.

* More tips are available at nvenergy.com/outageprep. 

If you are an NV Energy customer relying on active use of medical equipment at home, the company says there's a number you can call to receive priority help.

You can call (775) 834-4444 if you're in northern Nevada and need medical equipment that is relying on power consistently.

NV Energy says that when you apply for the Green Cross program, you should note these things:

The severe winter storm caused more than 1,000 total outages on December 31 in the Reno, Tahoe, Carson City and Minden/Gardnerville areas.

Over 70,000 customers were without power Sunday into Monday. 

NV Energy has noted that some estimated restoration times on its website may be inaccurate due to the high number of outages.

“Since yesterday, NV Energy crews have been able to restore more than half of the customers who experienced an outage due to large amounts of wet, heavy snow that weighed down our power lines and impacted vegetation near our power lines. The priority remains getting the rest of our customers back in power safely and as quickly as possible and our crews will not stop working until everyone’s power is restored. Due to the large number of outages throughout the area and weather conditions, restoration efforts could take several days,” said Jesse Murray, NV Energy's Vice President of Delivery on Monday.

“We are truly sorry for the inconvenience and ask impacted customers to please stay safe and prepare for an extended outage.”

NV Energy says the cause of the outages is due to the large area storm.

For more information about outages in northern Nevada, you can visit: View Current Outages | NV Energy or  Outages Map (libertyutilities.com)