Repair crews worked through a windy Monday night, restoring electric service since Sunday to nearly 28,000 customers of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation affected by a massive storm impacting large portions of the northern Midwest and Northeast.  Repairs to the remaining 2,900 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.

"Rain-saturated ground combined with strong, gusty winds throughout Sunday night and Monday toppled trees onto power lines over our entire region," said Paul E. Haering, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations. "We've secured additional electric line resources to repair the remaining storm damage and complete service restoration to our customers."

Haering explained that while the largest outages have been addressed, the remaining 170 damage locations cover a wide area, primarily in Ulster and Greene counties, and will take some time to complete. "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."  

Haering reminded residents to keep safety in mind during the storm, and to be particularly cautious when encountering downed power lines. "Keep yourself and others at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, and assume all lines are live," he said.

Additional safety measures include:

• Being 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;
• Installing and/or testing carbon monoxide detectors and ensure they are in working order;
• Avoiding the use of candles for illumination due to fire hazards;
• Following 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;
• Operating cars and motor vehicles outdoors only, and never inside the garage;
• Avoiding travel along roadways as hazardous conditions may cause driving accidents, including those involving utility poles which may cause power interruptions.
• Staying 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
• Ensuring exhaust and combustion air vents and chimneys are cleared if debris, ice and snow to prevent a potentially lethal buildup of carbon monoxide gas.

"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 only outdoors," Haering said.  He also advised customers to know how to open their garage door manually if they usually rely on an electrically operated, remote-control door opener.

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 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. 

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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Repairs crews restore electric service in Dutchess County on Monday.