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Avangrid Responds to Severe Storms and Extreme Heat Over Fourth of July Holiday

Business

Avangrid Responds to Severe Storms and Extreme Heat Over Fourth of July Holiday
Business

Business

Avangrid Responds to Severe Storms and Extreme Heat Over Fourth of July Holiday

2026-07-11 02:41 Last Updated At:02:50

ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 10, 2026--

Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, responded to a multi-state severe weather event that impacted more than 283,000 customers across New York, Connecticut and Maine during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260710945158/en/

"Over the course of one holiday week, our teams responded to multiple severe weather events across New York, Connecticut and Maine while managing record-breaking temperatures and periods of high energy demand," said Avangrid CEO José Antonio Miranda. "Thanks to strong coordination across our operating companies, support from mutual assistance partners and ongoing investments in grid reliability, we were able to safely restore service and keep energy flowing when it was needed most. These increasingly extreme weather events also highlight the critical, urgent need to invest in modernizing and strengthening our energy infrastructure to ensure reliability for our customers and communities.”

Beginning July 1, multiple rounds of storms moved across the Northeast while temperatures and heat index values climbed above 110 degrees in some areas. Avangrid coordinated restoration efforts across Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), Central Maine Power (CMP), and The United Illuminating Company (UI), deploying more than 1,370 personnel and support resources.

RG&E experienced significant impacts on July 1, followed by severe damage in NYSEG's Mechanicville Division on July 2, particularly in the Chatham area. On July 4, a powerful line of thunderstorms swept through the Hudson Valley, Connecticut and portions of Maine, affecting NYSEG's Brewster Division, UI's service territory, and CMP's Portland and Alfred service areas.

Crews from across Avangrid’s operating companies worked around the clock throughout the holiday weekend to restore service. On July 5, resources from New York and Maine were mobilized to support restoration efforts in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. Power was fully restored to UI customers by July 6 and NYSEG customers by July 7.

At the same time, Avangrid’s Energy Control Centers continuously monitored system conditions and coordinated with regional grid operators to maintain reliability during periods of exceptionally high electricity demand.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 25 states with approximately $50 billion in assets. Avangrid owns and operates seven electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. It also owns and operates nearly 100 energy generation facilities across the United States producing more than 11 GW of power for over 3 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,500 people and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2026 for the eighth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit http://www.avangrid.com

Pictured: Storm damage in NYSEG’s Brewster Division

Pictured: Storm damage in NYSEG’s Brewster Division

HOUSTON (AP) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who lived in the U.S. for decades, as the homebuilder drove his construction crew to a Houston job site.

His death set off protests in Texas' largest city and calls from Democrats and Salgado Araujo 's family for an independent investigation. The shooting on Tuesday in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood is at least the eighth death during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said federal officers were looking for someone else when they attempted to stop Salgado Araujo's vehicle. DHS said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that an officer opened fire in self-defense.

Salgado Araujo’s family said he was very close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years, and that he knew what to do if approached by ICE officers. Ronaldo Salgado, his son, said his father may have been scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were going to steal his tools.

Here’s what we know about Salgado Araujo’s shooting:

Few photos or videos surrounding the shooting in Houston have emerged on social media, unlike other deaths involving federal immigration officers. DHS has not released any images or footage.

DHS said in a statement that federal officers were heading to the address of a target Tuesday when they saw a white van and someone inside who resembled the person they were looking for. An officer opened fire after Salgado Araujo ignored commands and attempted to ram the officer with his vehicle, DHS said.

A video shot by bystander Juliet Martinez shows the aftermath of the shooting. A black vehicle is angled toward a white van, their doors wide open. A bleeding and handcuffed man groans loudly on the ground and his leg shakes. Other federal officers stand over at least three other handcuffed men.

ICE has not released the names of the other men detained, but Salgado Araujo’s family identified one as his brother. Families of the other two men said they were able to briefly talk to them Wednesday and they have been detained.

DHS said Thursday that the officers involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras. The department blamed Democrats and a record government shutdown that was fueled by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, a Democrat who also represents Houston, said if ICE officers did not have the devices, it was because Trump and Republican lawmakers did not want them to.

DHS said it would not release the name of the officer who shot Salgado Araujo. The department did not say how long the officer has worked for ICE or whether any of the officers involved were placed on leave.

Salgado Araujo and his wife came to America after meeting in their teens in Mexico and deciding they wanted a better life for their future family, Ronaldo Salgado said.

The father of three built houses in the Houston suburbs, started his own business and established his own crew. He had no criminal record, his family said.

Ronaldo Salgado, the oldest son, became a teacher. He said one of his brothers is an engineer and the other is studying engineering in college.

His son said he was a quiet man who left for work at sunrise and loved to pet his dog and sit on his porch listening to music.

“That’s how I want the world to know my father. Not as someone who got shot and killed, but as a family man, a man who understood that good things come to those who put in hard work,” Salgado said.

Salgado Araujo was at least the eighth person to die during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. No immigration officers have been charged in the deaths and video footage in several previous shootings contradicts the accounts of federal officers.

The most well-known of the killings happened during the winter crackdown in Minnesota where U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed during protests.

Two other shooting deaths happened during traffic stops, including Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, who was killed in Texas in March 2025. His death was not disclosed for nearly a year.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said it is time to escalate Mexico's complaints beyond diplomatic channels after the killing of Salgado Araujo.

“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

Mexico will request that criminal charges be filed in U.S. courts over the alleged killing of three Mexicans during ICE operations and the deaths of another 14 in ICE custody, Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said Thursday during a presidential news conference.

The complaints, filed against whoever is found responsible for the deaths, will be submitted to state prosecutor offices and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Homeland Security said Tuesday that the department's Inspector General’s Office was investigating the shooting.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Salgado Araujo’s family and the community deserve the truth. His office said Thursday that they are “pursuing investigative avenues available to us and will conduct a review of any information we collect within our reach.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire said city police were not involved in any part of the chase or shooting and have no jurisdiction over federal officers.

Brook reported from New Orleans and Collins from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporters Gisela Salomon in Miami; Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C.; and Ryan J. Foley in Omaha contributed.

This story has been corrected to show that Mexico plans to request criminal charges, not that it will file the charges.

Lorenzo Salgado Jr., son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, holds a family photograph during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Lorenzo Salgado Jr., son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, holds a family photograph during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A man walks past a makeshift memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A man walks past a makeshift memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Ronaldo Salgado, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, speaks during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Ronaldo Salgado, son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, speaks during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Jr., sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, hold a photograph of their father during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Jr., sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, hold a photograph of their father during a news conference Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Candles are lit during a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national fatally shot by a federal immigration agent a day prior, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Mark Felix)

Candles are lit during a vigil for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national fatally shot by a federal immigration agent a day prior, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Mark Felix)

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