NYSEG and RG&E On Target To Restore Power To Majority Of Customers By Midnight Sunday - 10 p.m.

• Stay away from downed power lines.
• Even lines that appear dead can be deadly.
• NYSEG customers should call 800.572.1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations;
• RG&E customers should call 800.743.1701.

Binghamton & Rochester, NY — March 11, 2017 — NYSEG and RG&E, subsidiaries of AVANGRID Inc., are moving forward with power restoration efforts for customers affected by the wind storm Wednesday and Thursday. Outages for RG&E customers peaked at more than 100,000 in early afternoon on Thursday. The wind storm brought down more than 4,000 wires between the two companies. NYSEG and RG&E have mustered a workforce of more than 2,500 line and forestry personnel including their local crews and crews from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec. The companies will be bringing in an additional 375 workers to help with the efforts. The companies have been working around the clock to restore power despite the continuing high winds that have caused nearly 9,000 additional customers outages since the storm passed through the area on Thursday. Power has been restored to at least 80% of customers affected by the storm as of 8 p.m.

The majority (90%) of the remaining NYSEG customers affected by the storm will be restored by 11 p.m. tonight. The majority (90%) of RG&E customers affected by the storm are on target to be restored by midnight Sunday. “This significant wind storm caused a substantial amount of damage. We appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews work to restore power safely and as quickly as possible,” said Mark S. Lynch, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E.

NYSEG Customers

 

County	Outages	ETR
Cortland	198	11pm, Saturday
Erie	2,407	11pm, Saturday
Wyoming	771	11pm, Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

RG&E Customers

The storm damage resulted in more than 201,000 outages affecting both homes and businesses. The following areas are distribution sites for dry ice and water. Supplies are distributed on a first come, first served basis, until they run out. 
 

 

County	Town	Location
Monroe	Greece	Greece Highway Department Building 647 Long Pond Road Open 24/7
Monroe	Henrietta	Rochester Fire Dept. - Engine #8, 2695 W. Henrietta Friday 3/10, Saturday, 3/11 and Sunday 3/12 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monroe	Irondequoit	Ridge/Culver Fire Department, 2960 Culver Road Open 24/7
Wayne	Walworth	Walworth Fire Department 2178 Church Street Bottled water only
Erie	East Aurora	Town Park, 690 South Street  7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 3/11 and Sunday 3/12

 

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 companies’ websites:  NYSEG Outage informaton or   List of Electricity Outages. 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 updates the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up by visiting the NYSEG website at NYSEG Outage alert or at the RG&E website at Outage Alerts .

Power Restoration Priorities

Our first priority is responding to known incidents of downed power lines to make the situations safe. Once this vital public safety work is complete, the company will:

• Assess the damage to the electricity delivery system.
• Develop a detailed restoration plan.
• Make repairs as quickly as possible.

How We Go About Restoring Power Following Major Storms
We first repair the backbone of the electricity system – transmission lines and substations – that bring electricity to the local distribution system that serves our customers. We then make any necessary repairs to the distribution system that includes the poles and power lines along streets and roads, focusing first on those circuits where we can restore power to the largest number of customers. As part of this process, we take into account the needs of hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police stations, as well as any other critical infrastructure. This is a time-proven process that ensures we safely restore service as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Customers should remember these 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.
• To report a power interruption, contact NYSEG at 800.572.1131 or RG&E at 800.743.1701. Our telephone systems let callers report the problem, help our crews respond quickly and efficiently, and provide 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 or mobile device during a power interruption can also report the interruption online at nyseg.com or rge.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.
• 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. Most food will last 24 hours if you minimize the opening of refrigerator and freezer doors.

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 your utility 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.
• Additional storm safety information is available at nyseg.com or rge.com (click on “Outage Central” and then on “Storm Safety”).