O&R UPDATE: 33K+ Out Of Power Friday

UPDATE March 2, 2018 at 5 p.m. — O&R company and contractor overhead line and tree crews have been working to restore service tocustomers whose power was knocked out earlier today by the destructive nor’easter that has been pummeling the region with high winds and heavy snow and rain.

As of 5 p.m., roughly 33,000 O&R customers in Orange, Rockland and Sullivan counties are currently without power. Nearly all those outages each affected a large number of customers, and were caused by high winds and damaged trees. And, there’s more trouble to come as the weather forecast predicts a further deterioration of conditions this afternoon as higher winds are expected to rake the region through the rest of today and into Saturday.

Here are the approximate number of customers currently out of service as of 5 p.m.:

Rockland – 15,400

Sullivan – 7,200

Orange – 10,600

All available O&R personnel are scheduled to work through the weekend around the clock in overhead line operations, damage assessment, site safety, customer service and the wide array of O&R teams that support those operations. O&R also has hired 60 additional contract overhead line technicians to supplement its workforce’s repair efforts.

O&R’s power restoration efforts focus first on repairs that support public safety such as clearing downed wires from roads. The next priority is restoring outages that affect the greatest number of customers in succession until all customers’ service that can be restored is, in fact, restored.

Rockland is now under a Winter Weather Advisory. Thousands of homes and businesses are out of power, O&R reports.

SEE:

• 'Bomb Cyclone' Pounding the Hudson Valley
  
• Nor'easter Changes Rockland School Schedules
  
• Flights Canceled At JFK, LaGuardia, Newark As Storm Hits

The National Weather Service says:

* WHAT...Heavy wet snow. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches, with localized amounts up to around 5 inches, are expected, especially at higher elevations.

* WHERE...In New Jersey, Eastern Passaic and Western Bergen Counties. In Connecticut, Northern New Haven County. In New York, Rockland and Northern Westchester Counties.

* WHEN...Until 6 AM EST Saturday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions, including during the evening commute. Damage to trees and power lines is likely. Be prepared for reduced visibilities at times.

Company and contractor overhead line and tree crews are responding to storm damage and restoring service outages as high winds, heavy rain and snow blast through the area, officials said.

O&R upgraded the company’s readiness status from Storm Watch to Storm Alert at 7 a.m. Friday. Storm damage response preparations began yesterday in response to the severe weather forecast.

Through the electric utility industry’s mutual aid program, O&R also has hired 40 additional contract overhead line technicians to supplement its workforce to aid in the field forces’ repair efforts. Those additional workers will join damage assessment, site safety, customer service operations and the wide array of O&R teams that support those field operations.

Today, winds are expected at 15-25 mph with gusts of 35-50 mph. Snow and rain will continue through the day, heavy at times. On Saturday, scattered rain/snow showers are expected early with winds 10-15 and gusts of 45 mph

For the most current outage numbers and locations, visit O&R’s Outage Map.

There are several ways O&R customers can report outages and check service restoration status:

• Go to O&R website from any computer or web-enabled mobile device;
• Download the O&R Mobile app through the App Store or Google Play Store;
• Text “OUT” to 69678 (myORU); or
• Call Customer Assistance at 1-877-434-4100

To help its customers prepare to weather a storm, O&R offers these tips:

· For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.

· Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with including puddles of water and fences. Supervise your children so that they are not in the vicinity and keep pets on a leash or otherwise secure.

· If a fallen wire is draped over a car, do not approach the car and make rescue attempts. Remain a safe distance away, and try to keep the occupant of the vehicle calm. If possible, emergency personnel should handle the situation.

· Have emergency equipment within reach --- portable radio, flashlights, spare batteries, first aid kit, cell phone and important medications. Keep O&R’s toll-free number 1-877-434-4100 near the phone to report power outages.

· If you experience a power outage, don’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it or that someone else will report it. To be sure the outage is reported, please call O&R toll-free at 1-877-434-4100 to let O&R know what happened. The more information you can provide, the more O&R can help you.

· Remember: If the base station of your cordless phone plugs into the wall, your phone will be unusable during a power outage.

For more information, visit O&R’s Storm Center at www.oru.com/storms