NYSEG and RG&E Expect to Restore Power in all Communities by Tuesday Evening

•  NYSEG and RG&E urge customers to stay away from downed power lines – even lines that appear dead can be deadly.
• Emergency generators can be dangerous. Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully when operating an emergency generator.
• Never run emergency generators indoors; operate them only outdoors in well-ventilated areas and away from windows and doors. Learn more about generator safety at nyseg.com and rge.com.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK — November 22, 2016 — NYSEG and RG&E, subsidiaries of AVANGRID (NYSE:AGR), report fewer than 1,000 customers are without power at mid-day following two days of heavy snow and high winds. The majority of the remaining outages are in Columbia, Sullivan, and Rensselaer counties. Additional crews from NYSEG, RG&E, and neighboring utilities joined the effort in the hardest hit communities this morning. The companies expect to complete the restoration in all areas by this evening.

NYSEG and RG&E have been contending with storm-caused outages from strong winds and wet, heavy snow since Sunday. By Tuesday morning, the restoration effort had expanded to include 149 line crews from NYSEG and RG&E backed by several hundred support and logistics personnel and assisted by more than 140 line crews from area contractors, neighboring utilities, the company’s sister utility in Connecticut, plus an additional 78 tree removal crews. Deep snow and slippery roads have caused multiple traffic accidents, contributing to the number of broken poles and downed power lines. The travel conditions have also added to the difficulties for crews traveling and working on the roadside.

As of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, the storm had knocked out power to more than 81,000 homes and businesses in the companies’ service areas.

Customers can get the latest outage counts; outage locations by county, municipality and streets/roads; and estimated restoration times (as they are available) on the NYSEG and RG&E websites. Estimated times for restoration will be updated throughout the day based on information from the field. Estimated times for restoration may also change if continuing stormy weather delays progress or causes further outages.

NYSEG and RG&E also encourage customers to sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates throughout the day automatically by phone, text, or e-mail as the companies update the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up by visiting the NYSEG website at NYSEG Outage alert, or RG&E at  RG&E Outage Alerts .