Nov 1, 2019
Central Hudson Restores Electric Service to 70 Percent of Affected Customers

Substantial progress was made today in restoring electric service to affected homes and businesses in the aftermath of a strong wind storm that impacted the region overnight. Electric service has been restored to nearly 30,000 customers, or 70 percent of those initially affected at the height of the storm. As of 5 p.m. approximately 12,000 outages remain, most in the hardest hit areas of Ulster County with approximately 6,300 remaining, Dutchess County with approximately 3,200 remaining and in Greene County with approximately 1,500 remaining.

“Our field force of more than 300 electric line and tree workers worked throughout the day to repair damage caused by the storm, and will be joined by additional tree crews plus 75 electric line workers from New York, Ohio and Canada on Saturday morning,” said Paul E. Haering, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations. “In addition, a support staff of hundreds of employees are assisting the restoration effort.”

Haering added that nearly 30 broken poles have been reported so far. “We expect to continue to make progress tonight, and anticipate that restoration work will continue throughout Saturday and primarily in Ulster County on Sunday.” Estimated restoration times by county have been established for the vast majority of affected customers, as follows, although electric service for individual customers may be sooner:

  • Albany County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:00 p.m.
  • Columbia County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:00 p.m.
  • Dutchess County: Saturday, Nov. 2, midnight
  • Greene County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:00 p.m.
  • Orange County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:00 p.m.
  • Putnam County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m.
  • Sullivan County: Saturday, Nov. 2, 6:00 p.m.
  • Ulster County: Sunday, Nov. 3, 6:00 p.m.

Central Hudson will be distributing dry ice and bottled water on Saturday, Nov. 2 beginning at 1 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Greene County: Town of Catskill, Lowes Home Improvement, #60 Catskill Commons, Route 23A
  • Ulster County: Woodstock Community Center, 56 Rock City Road
  • Ulster County: Rosendale, Recreation Center, 1055 Route 32
  • Dutchess County: Rhinebeck, Tops Supermarket, 6726 Route 9

Haering urged customers to keep safety in mind in the aftermath of severe weather:

  • Stay 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;
  • 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 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;
  • 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 CentralHudson.com/mobileapp;
  • Through social media:  "Like" Central Hudson on Facebook (www.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.

To view video updates of the storm restoration, visit the Central Hudson Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ CentralHudson. More information on preparing for storms and emergencies and communicating with Central Hudson is available at www.CentralHudson.com; and for information regarding electric and natural gas safety, visit www.CentralHudson.com/Safety.

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