A powerful line of thunderstorms interrupted electric service to approximately 36,000 customers in Central Hudson Gas & Electric’s service area on Wednesday night, with the most severe damage located in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties. As of 8:00 a.m. approximately 21,650 customers are without power.

• Dutchess County: 9,219 Customers affected
• Orange County: 7,946 Customers affected
• Putnam County: 700 Customers affected
• Ulster County: 3,797 Customers affected

“Wednesday’s severe weather caused significant damage, and our crews worked throughout the night to restore several thousand customers already,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations. “With nearly 400 remaining individual outage locations to address, we expect this to be a multiple day restoration effort, with some of the most heavily impacted areas potentially out of power until Saturday.”

Central Hudson has amassed a field force of approximately 550 line and line clearance workers that includes approximately 250 mutual aid line workers to expedite restoration efforts. “We know how critical electric service is to our customers,” Hawthorne added. “With the crewing we have and favorable weather conditions, we hope to make significant progress in making repairs on Thursday.”

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.

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

• 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;
• Avoiding opening a refrigerator unnecessarily during outages, so that food lasts longer, an unopened refrigerator can keep food fresh for up to 4 hours;
• 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;
• Mobile App: Free Central Hudson mobile applications are available for Android and Apple at www.cenhud.com/mobileapp;
• Through social media: “Like” Central Hudson on Facebook (Facebook.com/CentralHudson) and “Follow” on X (formerly known as 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.