Dic 25, 2020
Central Hudson Crews Restore Power to More Than 80 Percent of Impacted Customers

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. repair crews have restored power to more than 80 percent of homes and businesses impacted by the heavy rains and damaging winds that moved through the Mid-Hudson Valley Thursday night and Friday Morning, interrupting service to more than 42,600 customers. As of 7 p.m., nearly 34,550 customers have been restored, with the majority of remaining outages located in Dutchess and Ulster counties. 

“Our crews have made significant progress throughout the day, but we know there is still much work to be done,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations. “We have more than 376 line and tree professionals in the field tonight, including mutual aid assistance from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and crews from Green Mountain Energy in Vermont, who worked through the day to address the more than 650 individual damage locations, 564 reports of wires down and 28 broken utility poles. Because we know how vital electric service is to our customers as they celebrate the holidays and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 80 contract crews are arriving from upstate New York to assist in us Saturday in our restoration efforts.”

Central Hudson expects 95 percent of service restorations will be completed in each of the counties at the following times:

  • Albany County – More than 95% restored at this time
  • Columbia County – December 25 at 10 p.m.
  • Dutchess County – December 26 at 10 p.m.
  • Greene County – More than 95% restored at this time
  • Orange County - December 26 at 10 p.m.
  • Putnam County – December 26 at 8 p.m.
  • Ulster County – December 26 at 10 p.m.
  • Sullivan County – December 26 at 10 p.m.

 

Hawthorne reminded customers that restoration efforts will continue tonight and Saturday. “We will continue working to address the remaining 360 damage locations. Each repair will restore service to fewer and fewer customers, even single households, and may take just as long to complete as previous restorations,” he added.  To report or obtain restoration status for an outage, customers can log on to CentralHudson.com/Storms.

Central Hudson plans to distribute additional supplies of dry ice on Saturday afternoon. Dry ice has been subject to a national shortage, most recently for the shipping and preserving of COVID-19 vaccines. Times and locations will be determined and announced on Saturday morning.

            Weather conditions are expected to be dry over the weekend, which will help in the restoration of services, but temperatures are forecasted to drop below freezing. Residents are reminded to exercise extra caution in potentially icy conditions, and to be wary of the possibility of black ice on roadways.

Residents are also 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. Also, he advised that customer never drive through standing water on roadways.

Hawthorne reminded residents 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 (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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Crews repaired damage today on Derick Drive in Fishkill, Dutchess County.