POUGHKEEPSIE – Nearly 105,000, or 90 percent, of Central Hudson Gas & Electric customers impacted by Tropical Storm Isaias have had power restored. At its peak, more than 116,000 homes and businesses were without power, making it the fourth-most severe storm in the area in Central Hudson’s history. As of 7 a.m. on Friday, approximately 12,000 customers were without electricity, the majority of which are in Orange County and Southern Dutchess County:
- Columbia County: 172
- Dutchess County: 6,441
- Orange County: 4,691
- Putnam County: 740
- Ulster County: 217
Central Hudson has more than 670 line and tree personnel, along with hundreds of employees in support roles, working to repair more than 630 damage locations. Since the start of the storm, approximately 2,000 cases of downed power lines and 113 broken utility poles were reported, together with significant tree damage.
Central Hudson anticipates electric service will be restored to 95 percent of affected homes and businesses in Columbia and Putnam Counties by 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7; Dutchess County by 11:30 p.m. on Friday, August 7; and Orange County by noon on Saturday, August 8. Ulster County has had over 95% of its storm outages repaired, with the remaining customers affected continuing to be addressed.
“Our crews have made tremendous progress in restoring power to our homes and businesses in the wake of a historic storm,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Operations and Engineering. “As we continue our efforts, each new repair will restore service to fewer homes and businesses, and even single homes, as crews tackle pockets of extensive damage. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to complete these restorations.”
Regular (not dry) ice and bottled water will be distributed at the following locations starting at noon on Friday:
- Stanford Fire House, 6096 NY-82, Stanfordville, NY 12581
- Newburgh Armory, 321 S. William St., Newburgh, NY 12550
- East Fishkill Town Hall, 330 Route 376, Hopewell Junction 12533
Hawthorne reminded residents to practice the following safety tips, especially during service 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 CentralHudson.com/mobileapp;
- Through social media: “Like” Central Hudson on Facebook (www.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.
