Dry Ice For Those Still Out Of Power In Putnam: Update

UPDATE — There are more than 320 company and contractor (line and tree) resources actively working in the Brewster division (the Brewster Division serves not only Putnam County but upper Westchester and parts of Dutchess County), said County Executive MaryEllen Odell midday Tuesday. They're working on restoring power to the last 6,000 customers without electricity since the Monday storm.

Odell and the ICS Team at the Emergency Operations Center reported they continue to monitor the cleanup and restoration efforts from the wind and rainstorm that churned through the area on April 13. There were 300 downed wires in addition to broken poles and fallen trees and limbs.

Odell said she continues to meet with Aziz Uthman, Public Liaison Officer for NYSEG, Brewster Region.

NYSEG has assigned some line and tree crews to assist local municipalities with road clearing. NYSEG expects most customers will be restored by Tuesday. Dry ice and water will be made available to customers affected by the outage. NYSEG will work with local municipalities for distribution.

All County facilities resumed a COVID-19 modified operating schedule (all facilities are closed to the public and operating with a reduced staff).

Residents are reminded to report any outages to their local utility company. NYSEG can be contacted at 800-572-1131. Central Hudson Gas & Electric can be contacted at 845-452-2700. Both companies have an app available for download to track outages.

Putnam County 9-1-1 remains fully manned and should only be used for emergency requests for Police, Fire or EMS. Calls regarding COVID-19 information should be directed to 211.

Safety Near Fallen Wires:

• You can’t tell if a power line is energized just by looking at it. You should assume that all fallen power lines are live and proceed with extreme caution.
• If you see a fallen power line, stay at least 30 feet away from it and anything touching it. The ground around a power line and any objects it contacts, such as a fence, may be energized. Call 911 to report the condition so that emergency responders and Central Hudson or NYSEG are notified.
• If a downed wire comes in contact with your vehicle, stay inside and wait for help. If you must get out because of fire or other danger, jump clear of the vehicle to avoid any contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Land with your feet together and hop with feet together or shuffle away; don’t run or stride.
• Do not attempt to move a fallen power line or anything else in contact with it using an object such as a broom or stick. Even non-conductive materials or cloth can conduct electricity if slightly wet.

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 your utility company.
• 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.

Please continue to monitor NY-Alert for updates.

SOUTHEAST, NY — After Monday's wild wind storm, 7,331 NYSEG customers still remained without power in Putnam County at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the utility's outage list. That was down substantially from the 12,000 customers powerless 12 hours previously.

• Carmel: 4,651
• Kent: 2,785
• Patterson: 349
• Putnam Valley: 1,941
• Southeast: 371

NYSEG also reported 685 still out in Somers and 1,954 customers out in Yorktown.

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