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“We know reliable electrical service is vital to our customers, especially during the Christmas holiday and at a time when we’re also navigating the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson.
“Our employees are prepared to work through the holiday, we have secured additional line crews and we are maintaining regular contact with local emergency responders. If outages occur, we will be ready to address them as efficiently and safely as possible.”
Currently, forecasts predict that 30-50 mph winds will blow through the utility's service territory, which could cause trees and limbs to fall onto powerlines and interrupt homeowner's service.
In some areas, the utility warned, heavy rainfall could accumulate up to 3 inches in some areas, which could cause flooding when coupled with snow melt.
Customers are advised to keep flashlights handy, keep electronic devices charged and pay attention to weather advisories. To avoid physical harm, never get closer than 30 feet to downed power lines.
Additionally, Central Hudson offered these suggestions in a Wednesday, Dec. 23 press release:
- Use a battery-powered radio to keep on top of power restoration efforts
- Beware of fallen trees and tree limbs
- Never use outdoor grills indoors, regardless of weather conditions
- Fill bathtubs to have an emergency supply of water
- Keep emergency supplies of bottled water on hand
- Have a non-electric can opener
- Make sure to shut off main breakers when using emergency generators
- Never operate cars inside closed garage bays
- Enrolling in Central Hudson's texting program online or by texting "REG" to 236483
- Visiting the Central Hudson website on your smartphone to report outages and keep updated
- Call the Central Hudson PowerLine at 845-452-2700 or 800-527-2714
- "Like" Central Hudson on Facebook and/or follow the utility company on Twitter
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