Huntersland residents are demanding answers and action after their homes were hit by power surges and high voltage early last month.
National Grid officials have said that the company will cover items damaged in the surges on January 9 and plan to make upgrades to avoid problems in the future.
Resident John Diaz estimated that the voltage in his house was 175 for about five hours.
His pellet stove, furnace, and hot tub, were damaged along with his son's X-Box. "My pellet stove exploded."
"This is out of hand," he told Middleburgh town board members. "I want an answer. Get it fixed." Both Supervisor Pete Coppolo and Councilman Frank Herodes have contacted National Grid representatives about the problem.
Company workers have trimmed trees, have possibly identified the potential issue, and are planning engineering upgrades that may solve the problem, Mr. Coppolo said. A tree coming down on a line initiated the problem last month.
There has been a lot of talk and little action, noted Mr. Diaz.
Every time the wind blows, he gets nervous.
"This is out of hand."
He sometimes lays awake at night wondering if his outlets are going to blow out or if there will be a fire.
The problem is not a surge but an over voltage event, explained resident Jim Ryan of Bassler Road.
He had sparks coming out of smoke detectors and outlets blown apart.
He asked for and received a claim form from National Grid for damages around $1,000.
"The fear is this is going to happen again and cause a major fire or personal injury. This is a real concern."
Town officials were hoping that a National Grid official could attend a town meeting. A meeting may be set up in the future.
Pressure needs to be kept on National Grid for a time frame for the work, Mr. Ryan added.
The real cause is not a tree falling on a line, but a system reaction, he explained.
Councilman Herodes said he has been talking with a company representative, Angie, who has been helpful. He has been told that National Grid will cover all claims and if you go through your homeowners insurance, the company will cover the deductible. He also knows someone who got a full check for the damages from the company.
The company, added Mr. Diaz, should install surge protectors for the homes in the area.
"Why doesn't every home up there have one free until the problem is fixed?"
The protectors normally cost $10 per month, he said.
"It didn't take long for them to replace the meters," Mr. Ryan noted.
About 300 people were affected, according to Mr. Ryan, many of them elderly.
Some people were able to turn off their main breaker to avoid damage, he added.
A similar problem hit homes in December 2014. The utility did not cover any damage claiming it was an "act of God," Councilman Herodes explained.
Homeowners with damage need to tell the company at (315) 428-6536 and tell them what was damaged, and get a claim number, he noted.