Mar 2, 2021
Central Hudson Works to Repair Damages Caused by Wind Storm

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. crews are working to repair damages after powerful wind gusts toppled trees and tree limbs onto power lines and interrupted electrical service to more than 33,000 homes and businesses on Monday evening and overnight. As of 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, service was restored to nearly 22,000 customers, and approximately 11,000 remain without power, with the majority of outages located in Dutchess, Greene and Ulster Counties:

  • Dutchess County: 1, 055 customers affected;
  • Greene County: 1, 899 customers affected;
  • Orange County: 354 customers affected;
  • Ulster county: 7,393 customers affected

“Central Hudson takes storm restoration very seriously and we have a complement of more than 370 line and tree professionals in the field today including our core contractors as well as 45 mutual aid workers from our partners at Con Edison arriving this afternoon. These crews are working to address more than 350 individual damages locations as safely and efficiently as possible to restore power,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson. “With colder temperatures today and many working and schooling from home, we know how important electrical service is to our customers and we expect to have two-thirds of the remaining outages restored by this evening. Some heavily impacted areas will have outages linger into tomorrow evening, but as we continue to assess damage from this wind storm in impacted communities this morning we will update estimated times of restoration.” He added that windy conditions are forecasted to persist through much of the day, and additional outages may be reported.

Hawthorne also reminded customers that all electric line crews and support staff are practicing social distancing in an effort to keep employees and communities safe.

Residents are also advised to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and remember that lines may be entangled and hidden in fallen trees and limbs. Residents should also assume all downed lines are live.

Customers who have a member of their household that requires electricity to operate life sustaining equipment, should contact customer service at (845) 452-2700.

Residents are advised to keep safety in mind, particularly during power interruptions:

  • Never use outdoor gas or charcoal grills indoors, as they pose a fire hazard and over time can give off carbon monoxide gas;
  • Beware of fallen trees and limbs, and use caution when 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;
  • Operate cars and motor vehicles outdoors only, and never inside the garage; and
  • Avoid travel along roadways as hazardous conditions may cause driving accidents, including those involving utility poles which may cause power interruptions.

Customers can stay informed of storm and restoration conditions 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 CentralHudson.com/Alerts or text REG to 236483;
  • On the Web: Visit 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 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.

More information on preparing for storms and emergencies and communicating with Central Hudson is available at www.CentralHudson.com; for information regarding electric and natural gas safety, visit www.CentralHudson.com/Safety.