>> NYSEG urges customers to stay away from downed power lines – even lines that appear dead can be deadly. NYSEG customers should call 1.800.572.1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.
>> Emergency generators can be dangerous. Carefully read, understand and follow manufacturer’s instructions when operating an emergency generator. Never run emergency generators indoors; operate them only outdoors in well-ventilated areas and away from windows and doors.
>> NYSEG’s natural gas emergency number: 1.800.572.1121
>> The latest outage information: http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html [2]
>> Dry ice and bottled water: this evening at the Pine Bush Fire Department (Route 52, Pine Bush) and the Walden Fire Department (Old Orange Avenue, Walden); 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow at Copake Town Hall (230 Mountain View Road, Copake); in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, customers should contact their town officials for times and locations for dry ice and bottled water.
>> The next news release will be distributed at 7 a.m. tomorrow.
Rochester, NY – NYSEG’s electricity delivery system in the company’s Brewster Division and part of the Mechanicville Division has sustained extensive and widespread damage largely the result of trees and limbs brought down by the heavy, wet snow.
Approximately 81,000 NYSEG customers in the company’s Brewster, Liberty and Mechanicville operating divisions are currently without power. Despite hazardous travel conditions, NYSEG and contract personnel who were moved into those operating divisions in advance of the storm – along with hundreds more who have responded to the emergency – have already restored approximately 41,000 services as they continue to ensure that downed wires are safe and to assess damage to the system. (Note: Customers that have been interrupted and restored more than once are counted for each time they have been interrupted and restored.)
The current outage counts are:
• 72,000 in NYSEG’s Brewster Division (parts of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, where NYSEG serves 85,000 customers). Given the magnitude of the damage, NYSEG expects restoration work in the Brewster Division to be a multi-day effort.
• 7,900 in NYSEG’s Liberty Division (parts of Sullivan, Orange, Delaware and Ulster counties, where NYSEG serves 50,000 customers).
• 1,200 in NYSEG’s Mechanicville Division (parts of Saratoga, Washington, Rensselaer and Columbia counties, where NYSEG serves 47,000 customers). Most of the customers who are without power are in Columbia County. NYSEG expects to make considerable progress in restoring power in the Mechanicville Division over the next 24 hours.
Once NYSEG’s damage assessment work is further along, estimated restoration times will be assigned to each outage. Those estimated restoration times will be available at.
http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html or 1.800.572.1131.
NYSEG offers the following storm emergency tips:
During a power interruption
• Contact neighbors to see if their power is off. A loss of power may be the result of a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker.
• Contact NYSEG (1.800.572.1131) to report a power interruption. Our telephone system lets callers report the problem, helps our crews respond quickly and efficiently, and provides customers with power interruption updates. Because many people may be trying to reach us during a power interruption, phone lines may be busy. Anyone who has access to a working computer during a power interruption can also report the interruption online at nyseg.com.
• Listen to a battery-powered radio for weather and power restoration updates.
• Turn off major appliances (electric water heaters, refrigerators and freezers) and sensitive electronic equipment (TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers, audio equipment) to prevent overloading and possible damage when power is restored. Turning off this equipment may mean unplugging it, turning off a circuit breaker or removing a fuse for the circuit that provides power to this equipment. Leave one light switch “on” to know when power has been restored.
• Emergency generators can be dangerous. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never run an emergency generator indoors; operate generators only outdoors in well-ventilated areas.
• Don’t use a natural gas or propane range to heat your home.
• Never use outdoor grills or stoves inside.
• Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible to prevent food from spoiling – most food will last 24 hours.
After power is restored
• If a basement or home was flooded, customers should have an electrician check the home and have a plumbing and heating contractor check natural gas appliances before contacting NYSEG to have services turned on.
• Turn on appliances and sensitive electronic equipment one at a time to avoid overloading circuits.
• Replenish emergency supplies used during the storm.
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