Central Hudson Gas and Electric is working to restore service after severe storms caused wide-spread damage and service interruptions on Thursday. Nearly 16,000 homes and businesses were impacted by the severe weather that began around 1 p.m. on Thursday, most in northern Dutchess and Orange counties. Power was restored to nearly 50 percent of impacted homes and businesses overnight.

As of 9:30 a.m. on Friday, approximately 7,400 customers were without electricity, the vast majority of which are in Orange County:

• Dutchess County: 373
• Orange County: 5,897
• Ulster County: 1072

Central Hudson expects to have at least 90 percent of damages repaired and electric service restored by 11 p.m. on Friday evening. Some isolated outages may remain in the hardest hit areas until Saturday where weather-related damages were significant, especially in the areas of Maybrook and Montgomery.

“Thursday’s storms brought damaging wind, hail and unconfirmed reports of a tornado in the Montgomery and Maybrook area of Orange County. Our crews worked into the night to restore power to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson. “We have field force of approximately 350 line and tree workers who will be addressing repairs throughout the day.”

Hawthorne reminded residents to keep at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and to remember that lines can become entangled and hidden within fallen limbs. Residents should also assume any downed lines are live.

As electric service is restored, Customers are reminded to keep safety in mind:

• 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.

In addition, 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 (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.

Severe weather toppled trees in the Village of Montgomery on Thursday afternoon.

Unconfirmed reports of a tornado caused heavy damage in the Village of Montgomery on Thursday.