Power Slow To Come Back On in Many Areas

As of this afternoon, some 307 thousand customers are still in the dark, that's down from a peak of 320 thousand PSNH customers.

The weather forecast is predicting temperatures in the single digits across the southern part of the state tonight.

For those residents without heat, state officials are urging they find friends or family who can help, or stop by one of the dozens of shelters set up across the state.

Becky Field, with the Granite Chapter of the Red Cross, says they've got enough room to house nearly 6 thousand people.

So she encourages residents not to suffer the cold.

"They should, if they can, bring their own bedding like a sleeping bag, blankets or sheet. They should also be sure to bring their own medication and any personal items they need for their specific comfort."

Field says the shelters will have bathrooms and many will also be able to provide showers.

Hot food, like pizza, and other snack foods are also usually available.

Gregg Champlin with the Office of Emergency Management says people are often reluctant to leave their houses figuring the pipes may freeze.

But he says, if there's no power, the pipes could freeze whether someone's home or not.

"One piece of advice on leaving your house is to shut off your water. If you have a pump, shut off the power to it, if it comes from the city, shut it off when it comes into your house, so that when the power is restored, if you do have broken water mains, you're not flooding your house."

The most important thing, says Champlin, is the safety of the state's residents.

Earlier today, Governor Lynch warned residents that if their power isn't on already, don't expect it to come on tonight.

The damage is just too extensive.