Central Hudson Storm Restoration Update

Largest Restoration in Company History in Full Swing

Substantial progress was made today by Central Hudson’s field forces, with electric service restored to nearly 50,000 customers, about one-third of those impacted by storm as of Friday morning. Significant progress is expected to be made overnight, and with a field force of more than 1,000, the largest ever amassed by the utility in response to the two devastating storms that combined to interrupt electric service for 150,000 customers, progress will continue to be made on Sunday as crews clear fallen trees, replace broken poles and repair lines.

As of Saturday evening, about 82,000 customers remained without electricity, located by county as follows: Albany: 63; Columbia: 30; Dutchess: 28,600; Greene: 1,500; Orange: 30,000; Putnam: 3,100; Sullivan: 730; and Ulster: 18,300.

The utility expects that electric service will be restored to the vast majority of its customers by midnight on Wednesday, March 3, recognizing that there will be some customers in remote or particularly hard hit areas that may not see their power restored for up to several days later. Some areas still remain impassable or difficult to access due to deep snow and downed trees, hampering restoration efforts. However, crews will continue to expedite repairs until service is restored to all customers impacted by the storms.

Customers may contact the utility by calling (845) 452-2700 or 1 (800) 527-2714 to report a power outage, and they are encouraged to use the automated reporting system to do so. Between Tuesday and Saturday morning, the utility’s telephone system handled more than 225,000 calls, as compared to the approximately 15,000 calls that are handled in a routine week, and registered 71,000 orders regarding outages.

Emergency shelters have been established by the Red Cross and other agencies (see a complete list at www.CentralHudson.com). 

As of Saturday night, Central Hudson had distributed 100,000 pounds of dry ice and 10,000 bottles of water to customers in need. That distribution will continue as long as needed, and additional supplies of both are due throughout the course of the weekend. Updated schedules will be made available to local media outlets and will be available on Central Hudson’s website, www.CentralHudson.com, in the StormCentral section.

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.

For updates, safety tips, list of shelter locations and more information on how to prepare for storms, visit www.CentralHudson.com.

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