Thousands Still Without Power In Dutchess

As of 7 a.m. Saturday, approximately 53,000 customers remained without electric service in nearly 1,200 individual damage locations, following a damaging Nor’easter that brought soaking rains, sustained winds, powerful wind gusts and nearly two feet of heavy, wet snow to some northern areas.

Remaining power outages in the most heavily impacted areas are 24,000 in Dutchess County, 19,000 in Greene County and 10,000 in Ulster County, according to Central Hudson. Another 4,507 customers serviced by NYSEG are also without power in Dutchess County as of early Saturday morning.

This historic storm is one of the most powerful to impact the Mid-Hudson Valley during the last 50 years. In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, more than 2.5 million outages are reported, with more than 350,000 power interruptions in New York alone.

Central Hudson crews and damage assessment teams continue to address power outages and survey damage locations. Mutual aid crews from Hydro-Quebec are assisting in the power restoration efforts, and repair crews from Vermont utility Green Mountain Power and the New York Power Authority are due to arrive later today. Assistance is being sought from other utility companies, however many of the available resources are already addressing the significant level of damage present throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Wind gusts are forecasted to persist through Saturday, with the potential to bring down more trees and limbs, causing new power outages. “We expect service restoration to take place over the course of several days due to the severity and widespread nature of the damage, with the vast majority of impacted customers’ service restored by Wednesday afternoon,” said Charles A. Freni, Senior Vice President of Customer Services and Transmission & Distribution. “As the winds begin to subside, we will be able to complete our damage assessments and provide restoration estimates for our customers by area,” he explained.

Dry ice and bottled water will be distributed beginning this weekend. Locations and times will be announced when available. Customers are encouraged to monitor Central Hudson’s website and Facebook page in order to stay abreast of timely updates.

Central Hudson prioritizes repairs by first addressing the bulk transmission lines and substations, which make up the foundation of the local electric grid. As these repairs are completed, crews then focus on the local lines, working to first repair damage that will restore power to the greatest number of customers. Crews will continue to work along circuits to restore power to remaining customers along the line.

Freni urged customers to keep safety in mind. “If you see a fallen power line, stay at least 30 feet away from it and anything it contacts,” said Freni. “No one can tell if a power line is energized just by looking at it.” He explained that the ground around a power line and any objects it contacts may be energized. Assume all fallen power lines are live and proceed with extreme caution. Do not drive over fallen wires, and call 911 to report downed lines.

"Remember also to never use outdoor gas or charcoal grills indoors. They pose a fire hazard, and over time can give off deadly carbon monoxide gas. Use these appliances only outdoors with proper ventilation," Freni said. Other safety measures include the following:

· Beware of fallen trees and limbs, and use caution or traveling;

• 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;
• Never use outdoor gas or charcoal grills indoors, as they pose a fire hazard and over time can give off deadly carbon monoxide gas;
• Know how to open garage doors manually if using an electrically operated, remote-control door opener; and
• Operate cars and motor vehicles outdoors only, and never inside the garage.
• Customers are urged to report their power condition and to stay informed of storm and restoration status in the following ways:
• By text messaging: Customers should enroll in Central Hudson's Texting Program to use text messaging to report their power condition and to obtain repair status. To enroll, visit www.CentralHudson.com/Alerts or text REG to 236483;
• On the Web: Visit www.CentralHudson.com/Storms to report outages and obtain restoration updates;
• Via smart phones: A mobile version of the Central Hudson's website can be accessed by web-enabled cell phones and mobile devices at https://mobile.CenHud.com. Free Central Hudson mobile applications for Android and Apple and are also available by logging onto www.CentralHudson.com/mobileapp;
• Through Social Media: "Like" Central Hudson on Facebook (Facebook.com/ CentralHudson) and "Follow" on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/CentralHudson); and

· By Phone: Call the Central Hudson PowerLine at (845) 452-2700 or 1-800-527-2714, and please use the automated system to report or monitor your power condition.

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