NYSEG: Majority of Service Restored by Sunday

This statement was sent by NYSEG Thursday afternoon.

The vast majority of the remaining service interruptions as a result of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in NYSEG’s downstate service areas are expected to be restored by midnight Sunday.

The remaining customers will have service restored by midnight Wednesday, November 7. This assessment is based on identified damage. As restoration work is completed, we sometimes find additional damage and that can sometimes extend restoration times.

In the Rochester region, RG&E continues to expect to restore service to the vast majority of those who are without power by midnight Friday.

More than 2,500 NYSEG, RG&E and contract personnel are now working on the power restoration effort primarily in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Delaware and Monroe counties.

Of the approximately 292,000 total NYSEG and RG&E service interruptions caused by the storm, 72% (approximately 211,000) have now been restored.

“As we continue make repairs to the backbone of the electricity delivery system – our transmission lines and substations – and continue to bring additional resources into the locales where service is interrupted, we will see steady progress in restoring service,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E.

For more details and the latest outage numbers, visit:

http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html (NYSEG)

http://www.rge.com/Outages/outageinformation.html (RG&E)

Restoration Times

As estimated restoration times are available for each outage, they can be found at:

http://ebiz1.nyseg.com/cusweb/outagenotification.aspx or 1.800.572.1131 (NYSEG)

http://ebiz1.rge.com/cusweb/outagenotification.aspx or 1.800.743.1701(RG&E)

Safety Reminders

• Stay away from downed power lines – even lines that appear “dead” can be deadly.

• 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, away from windows and doors, and never in a garage.

How We Go About Restoring Power

The safety of crews, customers and the community is paramount when it comes to restoring power. The first priority in responding to a widespread power interruption is removing hazards – such as live, fallen power lines. We then make necessary repairs to the backbone of the system: transmission lines and substations. Next, we work on our local delivery system, including the poles and power lines along streets and roads. We focus first on critical facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and fire and power stations. We also focus on areas where we have customers who depend on electrically operated, life-sustaining equipment. Overall it’s a time-proven process that ensures we restore service safely and as quickly as possible.