Repair crews worked through the night to restore power to thousands of Hudson Valley residents who were left in the dark following two days of whipping wind storms that left the region reeling.
Crews from Central Hudson worked overnight to restore power to nearly 30,000 customers, who were impacted by the storm that sent trees and branches flying onto power lines and utility poles.
According to Central Hudson, since Sunday nearly 28,000 customers were impacted by the storm that struck the area. Repairs to the remaining customers without power this morning are taking place throughout today and this evening by a field force of nearly 500 electric line, tree and support personnel, including an additional contingent of more than 80 line workers that had arrived Monday evening.
Late in the morning on Tuesday, Feb. 26, Central Hudson was still dealing with 1,745 customers who remained without power, with “the vast majority of customers still impacted (expected) to be restored by 10 p.m.”
“Rain-saturated ground combined with strong, gusty winds throughout Sunday night and Monday toppled trees onto power lines over our entire region,” Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations Paul Haering said. “We’ve secured additional electric line resources to repair the remaining storm damage and complete service restoration to our customers.
“Crews will be working throughout the day and evening, although each repair will restore service to fewer customers. We are continuing our work to restore electric service, and expect power to be returned to all or nearly all affected customers by 10 p.m. tonight.”
To keep customers safe, Central Hudson advised they should:
- Be aware of fallen trees and limbs, and using caution or traveling;
- Never using outdoor gas or charcoal grills indoors, as they pose a fire hazard and over time can give off carbon monoxide gas;
- Install and/or testing carbon monoxide detectors and ensure they are in working order;
- Avoid the use of candles for illumination due to fire hazards;
- Follow the manufacturer's safety instructions on the use of emergency generators, and be sure to shut off the main breaker when in use and operate the units outdoors;
- Operate cars and motor vehicles outdoors only, and never inside the garage;
- Avoid travel along roadways as hazardous conditions may cause driving accidents, including those involving utility poles which may cause power interruptions.
- Stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, and remember that lines may be entangled and hidden in fallen trees. Assume all downed lines are live; and
- Ensure exhaust and combustion air vents and chimneys are cleared if debris, ice and snow to prevent a potentially lethal buildup of carbon monoxide gas.
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