Oct 7, 2020
Central Hudson Crews Mobilized in the Wake of Damaging Storms

Central Hudson Gas & Electric, is working to restore power after severe thunderstorms with damaging wind interrupted service to homes and businesses throughout the service area. As of 5:45 p.m., nearly 19,000 customers were without power, the majority of them located in Greene County:

  • Albany County: 3,934
  • Dutchess County: 2,581
  • Greene County: 10,280
  • Ulster County: 1,820

“Wednesday’s storms and damaging wind gusts of 40-50 mph caused electrical outages throughout our service area. Our crews will continue to work through the night to restore service to our impacted customers  as safely and efficiently as possible,” Charles A. Freni, President and CEO of Central Hudson said. “We’d also like to remind our customers to exercise caution and remain at least 30 feet away from all downed power lines and to assume any downed line is live.”

Freni also cautioned another line of storms potentially moving through the area and continued powerful wind gusts could cause trees and limbs to come down resulting in additional outages. While crews are working to assess damage and restore servicesome customers may not have power restored until Thursday.

Motorists should also be aware of the potential for downed limbs and power lines that may block roadways and should never attempt to drive over or around downed power lines.

Freni urged customers to keep safety in mind, particularly during power interruptions:

  • Stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and remember that lines may be entangled and hidden in fallen trees. Assume all downed lines are live;
  • 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.

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 (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.

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.