Poughkeepsie - Weather conditions have deteriorated significantly in the Mid-Hudson Valley tonight, with wet, heavy snow causing an increase in the number of service interruptions reported by customers of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. Although half of the more than 90,000 customers initially impacted at the start of the first storm on Tuesday evening had their service restored within 24-hours, many additional customers including some of those customers whose power was previously restored inevitably will be experiencing new outages as a result of this latest, more powerful storm which could continue into Saturday. Already this evening at least one county has declared a state of emergency, as roads become increasingly impassable. As a result, Central Hudson has begun reassessing damage throughout its eight-county service area. Due to the severity of this second storm, priority for overnight crews will be to respond to emergencies such as broken poles and downed wires.
This second storm has the potential to be more potent than the first, and by morning could result in as many or more outages than the previous storm. Travel and working conditions are expected to be difficult in the morning, which could hamper restoration efforts. Central Hudson has continued to retain additional crews, and has now mobilized more than 600 personnel in storm restoration efforts, plus support staff.
As of Thursday night outages were again increasing, as approximately 63,000 customers were without electric service throughout the counties served by Central Hudson, representing damage caused by both storms. At that time, outages were clustered in the impacted counties as follows: Albany: 2,500; Columbia: 230; Dutchess: 12,100; Greene: 5,000; Orange: 18,000; Putnam 2,300; Sullivan: 700; and Ulster: 21,700. As storm conditions are expected to extend into Saturday, additional outages are likely to be reported, even as power is restored to those included in the numbers above. Customers should expect that restoration may take several more days and those without service should make alternate arrangements for shelter.
Emergency shelters have been established at nine locations, and Central Hudson has scheduled the distribution of dry ice and bottled water; details are available on the StormCentral section of the Central Hudson website at
www.CentralHudson.com.
All customers should be prepared with adequate supplies of non-perishable food, water and medications on hand in the event their power is interrupted by the storm. If power is lost, those customers with access to a computer or compatible cell phone should report their power condition via the website at the address above where they can also access information regarding the extent of outages; once service restoration estimates become available, they will be found on the website. Please note that due to the extensive and unfolding nature of the damage, projected restoration information may not be available for all locations via that system for several days.
Customers may also contact the utility by calling (845) 452-2700 or 1 (800) 527-2714 to report a power outage, but they are encouraged to use the automated reporting system to do so. In some locations, localized telephone landline trunk limitations have caused some customers to receive automatic busy signals when dialing in, and they are asked to report via a computer if possible or try again via telephone at a later time.
Customers are also reminded to check on frail or elderly neighbors, relatives or friends - including any who may rely on electrically operated life-sustaining equipment - and encourage them to seek alternate shelter, as it may take several days before their power is restored.
All local residents are reminded to stay clear of downed or sagging wires - they could be lethal. As fallen wires may be hidden by trees or debris, extreme caution should be used when moving through an outage zone. If a power line falls on a vehicle, occupants should stay inside and wait for rescue crews. Customers should not heat their homes with an unvented heater, gas range or any similar appliance, as they can produce deadly carbon monoxide. Generators should be operated only in a vented, dry location; outdoor gas grills should never be used to heat indoors because they pose a fire hazard and can give off deadly carbon monoxide gas.
