Additional assessment and repair work is expected to continue through Wednesday
Today's storms caused significant damage to the region, with strong gusts up to 60 mph toppling limbs and trees onto powerlines causing widespread electric service interruptions throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley and beyond. In total and as of 8 p.m. this evening, more than 39,000 Central Hudson customers were affected by the storm. Service has been restored to nearly 22,000 homes and businesses, and currently more than 16,000 are without electric service, the majority of which continue to be located in southeastern Dutchess County and Orange County.
More than 470 individual damage locations are reported, each to be addressed by repair crews in order to restore electric service. "We realize that many residents are at home and dependent on electric service for common household uses and to stay connected, perhaps now more than ever," said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson. "We remain committed to restoring power as quickly and safely as possible under these unique circumstances."
Hundreds working to make repairs; Contract crews are en route to assist
More than 300 electric line and tree clearing personnel are working to repair power outages, together with hundreds of support staff to deliver needed supplies, assess damage, guard downed wires and provide additional services. "Because of the significant number of individual damage locations, we expect that repairs will likely continue to take place throughout Tuesday and Wednesday for most service restorations," said Hawthorne.
"For the safety of the public and utility personnel, we are following CDC guidelines," he said. "Our electric line crews and support staff are practicing social distancing when addressing emergencies and we are staging crews to avoid clustering of personnel. We kindly ask that our customers, too, maintain social distancing with one another and our field personnel as they repair storm damage and restore power."
Hawthorne said that despite widespread storm damage in the south and nearby states, Central Hudson has secured the assistance of contract crews from Ohio, Florida, Toronto and Ottawa, due to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday. "We were successful in calling upon 80 additional electric line contractors to assist in our efforts to restore electric service to our customers," said Hawthorne. "We will continue to use every means to secure additional resources as they become available," he said.
Hawthorne said the utility is also monitoring weather forecasts and is working to maintain electric service to critical facilities such as hospitals and clinics to the extent possible.
Please read the extremely important safety reminders below.
AVOID ALL FALLEN WIRES:
• You can't tell if a power line is energized just by looking at it. Assume all fallen power lines are live and proceed with extreme caution.
• Do not drive over fallen wires. Always follow the utility personnel instructions regarding fallen power lines.
• If you see a fallen power line, stay at least 30 feet away from it and anything it contacts. The ground around a power line and any objects it contacts may be energized. Call 911 to report fallen wires.
• Do not attempt to move a fallen power line or anything else in contact with it using an object such as a broom or stick. Even non-conductive materials like wood or cloth can conduct electricity if even slightly wet.
CARBON MONOXIDE& GENERATOR SAFETY:
• NEVER operate a generator in an enclosed space, including your basement or garage. Doing so can lead to a potentially lethal build-up of colorless, odorless, poisonous carbon monoxide.
• NEVER use your oven, a grill or any outdoor heating appliance indoors. Doing so creates potentially lethal fire and carbon monoxide hazards.
• Only have an experienced electrician connect a generator to your home. Improperly installed generators may overload circuits, cause a fire or shock hazard, and can result in serious injury or property damage. Improperly installed generators can also back-feed onto electric lines and endanger repair crews working to restore service.
• Plug appliances directly into the generator using a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cord that is designed to handle the wattage of all the appliances being connected.
For more information visit https://www.cenhud.com/