Don’t Worry If You See Low-Flying Helicopter Over the Southcoast

If you see a low-flying helicopter in your area over the next few days, don't be alarmed. The chopper belongs to Eversource, and will be conducting aerial inspections of the company's high-voltage electrical equipment for about three days starting Wednesday.

Eversource spokesman Mike Durand tells WBSM News the helicopter inspections offer a birds-eye view of the company's transmission lines. "While we're up to, in addition to looking with the naked eye, we have infrared scanning equipment that is able to sense anything that might be going wrong with equipment even before we would be able to see it with our eyes," says Durand.

During the inspections, the helicopter may hover over an area for up to five minutes if the infrared camera detects a potential equipment issue.

Durand says the inspections go a long way toward reducing the frequency and duration of power outages. The inspections should conclude on Friday.