BUFFALO, N.Y. — National Grid customers have dealt with power outages twice this month in parts of southern Erie County.
The problem has to do with a piece of equipment failing. It was the same piece of equipment in a different part of the substation weeks apart.
On October 3rd and last Friday, the same National Grid customers in southern Erie County lost power.
"It extended to like Derby and Eden, Irving, Brant, and North Collins. In both instances, a piece of equipment failed," said David Bertola, National Grid spokesperson.
A National Grid spokesperson said both times it was the same type of part and the two units are about a hundred feet from each other.
About 9000 customers lost power Friday night and Maria McMullen was one of them. McMullen has a toddler, which made the inconvenience tough both times the power went out.
"It's hard when the power goes out with a toddler because they're scared and they're like what do we do now? So I was like, okay, we'll do a flashlight tubby, we'll get on some jams, and my daughter refuses to go in the bedroom when it's dark, so I had to sit and she stayed in my bed," said McMullen.
McMullen hopes National Grid figures out what the issue is, so it doesn't happen a third time.
"We're committed to doing a deep dive on the station to learn more because we made all of the repairs back on the 3rd, and then it happened at another separate part of the station on Friday, but we're committed to determining a solution to make sure that it doesn't happen again, and the same customers aren't impacted because we know that that's not right," said Bertola.
National Grid said it could be a wiring issue or maybe faulty equipment from the same lot number, but Bertola reassures customers they're looking into it this week.