By Bill Haberman and Kim Kalunian, WPRO News

Charlotte McCormack, a spokeswoman from National Grid for the Greater Boston Area, said bringing back power for Rhode Island customers will be a "multi-day restoration event."

McCormack reminded customers of the difference between this winter storm and other weather events like Hurricane Sandy.

"We're dealing with three feet of snow, impassible roads, sub-freezing temperatures…so the restoration process is going to be that much longer," she said Saturday.

McCormack said downed transmission lines are responsible for a bulk of the widespread outages, especially those in the southern part of the state. 

"We're focusing on the transmission lines and lines down," she said. Once transmission lines are repaired, many customers' electricity will be restored.

For those without heat, McCormack said to keep doors and windows shut, use blankets and get to warming shelters if the low temperatures become unbearable. She said those with gas heat should not heat their homes with their ovens, since it causes a major fire hazard.

She said National Grid is working hard to try to restore power quickly in Rhode Island.

"I can assure you that we're going to be working around the clock until we get everybody back up," she said.

For detailed forecasts and up-to-the-minute closings and information, visit our Operation Snowball page.