Feb 6, 2022
Central Hudson Restores Power to 75 Percent of Impacted Customers

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. crews made progress in repairing damage and restoring power to customers who experienced service interruptions from Winter Storm Landon on Sunday. To date, power has been restored to more than 48,000 homes and businesses since Friday morning, primarily in hard-hit Ulster County. As of 7:00 p.m. today, approximately 16,000 customers are without power in Ulster County.

“We understand how critical it is to restore power to our customers given the current weather conditions. Our field force of nearly 900 line and tree professionals will continue to work into the night to retore as many homes and businesses as possible,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations. “Some customers in our most heavily impacted areas may not have service restored until Tuesday night. We are encouraging those without power to take appropriate measures to stay warm throughout the night.”

Ulster County has announced warming centers for those in need at the following locations:

Ulster County Warming Center Locations 

Kingston 

Andy Murphy Center 

467 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401

 

2nda Iglesia La Mision Church 

80 Elmendorf St, Kingston NY 12401

 

Best Buy

1300 Ulster Ave., Town of Ulster NY 12401

 

New Paltz

SUNY New Paltz Elting Gymnasium 

1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561 

 

Saugerties 

Frank D. Greco Memorial Senior Citizen Recreation Center 

207 Market St, Saugerties, NY 12477

 

Central Hudson is working to refine estimated times of restoration on a municipal level. Areas that have been the most heavily impacted could see restoration efforts extend into Tuesday evening. Central Hudson will conduct targeted outreach to customers in these areas.

Damage from the storm has been severe. So far crews have addressed nearly 600 individual damage locations and have approximately 670 locations remaining with additional outages still being reported.  Since the start of the storm there have been 75 broken poles and more than 2,000 cases of downed lines. Central Hudson has deployed wire guards to warn motorists and pedestrians to stay clear of these areas. In addition, representatives are making door-to-door visits with customers dependent on electrically operated life support equipment to ensure their well-being.

Customers are reminded that the service bracket, weather head, service entrance cable and meter box on their homes and buildings are the responsibility of the property owner. Central Hudson is not able to restore service to homes that have sustained damage to this equipment. Customers should contact an electrical contractor immediately if they feel these areas of the home have been damaged. Ulster County provides a list of master electricians here.

Residents are advised to be aware of the large number of utility crews working along roadways, and to use caution when approaching work zones. As ice remains on trees, be aware of the continued potential for falling branches. Also, cold temperatures can pose a risk to plumbing and residents may wish to consider opening faucets and allowing them to drip. For more information on plumbing safety, visit Central Hudson’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/centralhudson.

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

  • Residents are advised to exercise an abundance of caution around downed power lines by staying at least 30 feet away and remember that downed lines can become entangled and hidden in fallen limbs. Residents should also remember to assume any downed power lines are live.
  • Never use kitchen stoves or 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.
  • Visit hudsonvalleyweather.com for the latest forecast information.

 

Customer should avoid cold weather hazards by:

  • Exercising care when using space heaters by keeping them away from flammable materials such as paper or curtains, placing them out of areas of foot traffic, and shutting them off when not in use;
  • Clearing ice that has the potential to fall, particularly near doorways and around utility meters, and keeping meters free of snow by lightly brushing them with a broom;
  • Keeping chimneys and flues clear of ice, snow and other obstructions to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the home; and
  • Exercise caution when outdoors or avoid spending time outside when possible.

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. Updated free Central Hudson mobile applications are available for Android and Apple devices by logging onto www.cenhud.com/mobileapp;
  • Through social media: “Like” Central Hudson on Facebook (Facebook.com/CentralHudson) and “Follow” on Twitter (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.
  • If a member of your household needs electricity to operate life sustaining equipment, please contact customer service at (845) 452-2700.

 

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.

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Central Hudson Crews continue restoration efforts in Rosendale, Ulster County on Sunday.