NYSEG officials say they are prepared to respond to outages but customers should prepare themselves to be without power as a result of the storm—possibly for days.
“Most importantly, we urge our customers to stay safe during and after the storm," said Mark S Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E.
Lynch said the first phase of the service restoration proces—damage assessment—will not begin until the storm passes, perhaps on Wednesday. Customers should be prepared for a long duration event,” Lynch said.
He said that NYSEG’s first priority is responding to known incidents of downed power lines to make the situations safe. (NYSEG customers should call 1.800.572.1131 to report downed wires).
Once this vital public safety work is complete, the companies will assess the damage to the electricity delivery system; develop a detailed restoration plan and make repairs as quickly as possible.
Flash flooding and flooding in low-lying areas could also damage facilities and hamper service restoration efforts.
The company said that all employees are on heightened alert and front line employees are prepared to respond to the hardest-hit areas. Additional line and tree crews are available and outreach staff is working with county and municipal officials.
NYSEG has secured supplies of dry ice and bottled water and company representatives are stationed at the New York State Office of Emergency Management “bunker.”
