Update, Wednesday 3 p.m.
NYSEG reported on Wednesday afternoon that the company has made "solid progress" in repairing and restoring service to its customers. Of the 267,000 total service interruptions caused by the destructive storm, 57 percent (approximately 153,000) have been restored, according to their latest press release.
Here is the information released by spokesman Jim Salmon Monday afternoon:
“Because of the good work our people have done across NYSEG and RG&E’s combined 20,000-square-mile service area, we have been moving considerable additional resources to those areas where damage is most severe,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E. “We expect to continue to make good progress restoring service today in the RG&E service area and in completing a comprehensive damage assessment in NYSEG’s downstate service areas. That damage assessment will enable us to establish global estimated restoration times and put in place a detailed service restoration plan.”
Nearly 500 company line crews and contract line and tree crews, along with hundreds of support personnel, are working on the massive power restoration project, primarily in Putnam, Westchester, Sullivan, Dutchess and Monroe counties.
“Our work is going to take considerable time – it is going to be a long duration event, particularly in the hardest-hit areas – but we are confident in our people and our plan,” Lynch said. “We understand that being without power is inconvenient for our customers, and our goal is to restore service safely and as quickly as possible.”
First story, Tuesday, 8 p.m.
NYSEG officials said late Tuesday night that the utility company is continuing to move additional crews and support personnel, as well as contract line and tree crews, into the downstate areas and the Catskill region that were particularly hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.
The company re-stated that its current power restoration effort in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties and the Catskill Region will be lengthy.
Over 110,200 NYSEG customers are without power:
Westchester County: 31,400
Putnam County: 33,100
Sullivan County: 24,600
Dutchess County 10,600
Ulster County: 3,900
Steuben County: 1,400
Delaware County 1,300
Otsego County: 600
First story: Prepare for "Lengthy Wait" for Power
Damages inflicted by Hurricane Sandy will take days to repair, according to NYSEG's latest press release.
“NYSEG and RG&E crews are making solid progress restoring service in the upstate region where damage was much less severe than it could have been,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E. “As we complete our work there, crews will be re-assigned to assist our downstate crews in making repairs.”
While utility crews have made progress in upstate areas, work in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties is still in the assessment phase.
“To put this storm and the current damage into perspective, the day after Irene was warm and sunny and we were able to begin our restoration work immediately. That restoration effort across the NYSEG service area took approximately eight days,” Lynch said. “Today we are still fighting inclement weather—for example we are not able to fly to inspect our transmission lines, and the damage to our facilities appears to be much worse than it was following Irene.”
Crews will begin "comprehensive damage assessment" on Wednesday, followed by the distribution of estimated restoration times.
How Power is Restored:
According to Lynch, the safety of crews and customers is paramount and this procedure ensures safety is a priority:
- Removing hazards – such as live, fallen power lines.
- Make necessary repairs to the backbone of the system: transmission lines and substations.
- Work on our local delivery system, including the poles and power lines along streets and roads, focusing first on critical facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and fire and power stations.
There are over 31,000 Westchester residents and over 32,000 Putnam residents currently without power.
