Lethal Nor'easter: 162K Without Electricity In Hudson Valley

SATURDAY, March 3 — More than 200,000 customers remain without power and many local roads are still blocked by downed tree limbs and wires. Some municipalities have extended their states of emergency, others have ended.

Strong winds with gusts up to 50 mph are expected across the region Saturday with the end of the nor'easter, according to the National Weather Service. The ban on high-profile vehicles continues on the Mario Cuomo Bridge. Rockland officials remind residents there is therefore no TZExpress service.

Utility officials remind people without power not to use propane stoves or gas grills to heat their homes.

SEE:

• Beware Carbon Monoxide After Nor'easter
• Still No Buses Across The MCB: Nor'easter Aftermath
• O&R Continues Work On Power Outages Saturday
• NYSEG Outages, Criticism In Nor'easter Aftermath
• Con Ed Continues Restoring Power, 60K Still Waiting Saturday
• 32K+ Central Hudson Customers With No Power Saturday Night
• Putnam Opens Comfort Stations, Monitors Storm Impacts
• Take Care: Metro-North Issues Weather Advisory For Hudson Valley

A widespread Coastal Flooding Threat continues.

Dutchess County officials are monitoring weather conditions closely to determine need for warming centers or overnight shelters in the coming days. Currently, two municipalities have opened facilities for residents to utilize today for warming, cell phone charging and other needs:

• Amenia Town Hall, 4988 Route 22, Amenia. Call Supervisor Victoria Perotti at 845-235-2499
• Dover Town Hall, 126 E Duncan Hill Road, Dover. Hours 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Beekman Fire House, 316 Beekman-Poughquag Road (CR 7), Beekman. Hours: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Putnam County has two comfort stations for residents who need warmth and working electrical outlets: the Putnam Valley Senior Center, 117 Town Park Lane and at Temple Beth Shalom, 10 Fair St.

• Putnam Opens Comfort Stations, Monitors Storm Impacts

Peekskill: The Library at 4 Nelson Ave, Peekskill will be open today till 5 p.m. for those in need of phone charging or simply to warm up. If long term assistance is needed due to local outages, please contact the Peekskill Police department at 914-737-8000.

Central Hudson reports about 32,000 customers remain out as of 8 p.m. Saturday.

Con Ed reports Westchester County remains the area most effected by the nor’easter, where most of its customers are served by an overhead electrical-delivery system. In Westchester, Con Edison has 60,00 who remain without electricity.

NYSEG reports 53,00 customers remain without power in Putnam, Westchester and Dutchess counties.

O&R reports about 17,000 remaining out of service Saturday night.

Central Hudson Dry Ice & Water Distribution Centers:

ULSTER COUNTY
- Woodstock Community Center -
56 Rock City Road
Woodstock, NY
- Olivebridge Fire Station
9 Mill Road
Olive, NY
DUTCHESS COUNTY
- Poughkeepsie Home Depot -
3470 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY
GREENE COUNTY
- Town of Cairo Greene County ECO -
25 Volunteer Drive
Cairo, NY
- Lowes Home Improvement Catskill -
60 Catskill Commons
Catskill, NY

FRIDAY — Local police across the region are reporting trees and limbs down, wires down and roads blocked due to the dangerous nor’easter pounding the Hudson Valley and whole East Coast. Municipalities are urging people to stay off the streets. Here are the latest details about weather, travel, and power outages. Scroll down and keep checking back; Patch will continue to make updates during and after the storm.

Travel

Many roads are blocked in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester and Ulster counties. Many municipalities have declared states of emergency asking residents to stay off the roads.

Mario M. Cuomo Bridge: Effective immediately, the Thruway Authority and State Police Troop T have enacted additional enforcement measures to restrict high profile vehicles from the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. This restriction includes all tractor trailers, buses, box trucks and other high profile vehicles.

Due to high winds on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Troop T will be stopping traffic on the New York State Thruway (I-87) southbound at exit 15; I-87 northbound at exit 8; I-287 northbound out of New Jersey into New York toward the bridge; and I-287 westbound to I-87 southbound in Westchester County to divert high profile vehicles from traveling over the bridge. Passenger vehicles will be allowed to continue over the bridge after the traffic stop.

Digital highway signs are illuminated throughout roads in the lower Hudson Valley and will include messages about the high profile vehicle ban on the bridge.

Strong winds are expected to continue through the evening. Motorists should expect delays and consider alternate routes.

Road closures: In the Town of Yorktown, Underhill Road is almost impassable, just east of the Taconic State Parkway (see photo below). Crews are working on getting rid of a large tree which took down wires. Much of Yorktown is without power.

Putnam officials warned of many road closures including Stoneleigh Ave, Taconic State Parkway and Route 301. Use NY-Alert to find current major road outages or use your GPS to confirm travel.

In Sleepy Hollow: Riverside Dr. between Hunter Ave. and Lakeshore Close, County House Road to Tower Hill Rd (From Wilson Park to Tarrytown Lakes); Pocantico Hills: Lake Road - from the Tarrytown Lakes to Bedford Rd (448); Tarrytown: Neperhan Ave - from the Saw Mill Parkway entrance to Sunnyside Ave.(Along Tarrytown Lakes)

New York State Thruway: Due to high winds there is a ban on tractor trailers, buses and motorcycles on the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. One tractor-trailer driver didn't get the memo:

SEE: Overturned Semi Closes Two Lanes On The MCB

Friday UPDATES

Airports: All regional airports in New York City, LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark Liberty remain open as of this morning, with heavy delays and numerous cancellations. Out of LaGuardia, 550 flights out have been cancelled, out of JFK 290 flights have been cancelled and out of Newark 322 flights have been cancelled. All airports are subject to closings due to extreme weather. Travelers are urged to contact their carrier to determine flight status before arriving at the airport.

SEE: Flights Canceled At JFK, LaGuardia, Newark As Storm Hits

Travel Advisory: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued a Travel Advisory for all areas north of New York City requesting limited travel due to dangerous conditions on roadways. Currently a combination of strong winds and heavy snow have caused scattered power outages and the visibility on roads is extremely limited.
The leading cause of injuries and deaths during winter storms occur from automobile accidents. If you must travel today, give yourself plenty of extra time, drive slow, and maintain a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

Snowplows travel at about 35 miles per hour — which in many cases is lower than the posted speed limit — in order to ensure that salt being dispersed stays in the driving lanes and does not scatter off the roadways. The safest place for motorists is well behind the snowplows where the roadway is clear and salted.

Amtrak: Amtrak said it was suspending all services along the northeast corridor temporarily due to multiple weather-related issues. Trains en route will continue to Washington, DC, New York and Boston will hold at whichever stop they come to. Amtrak said to check with your commuter rail provider for status updates because some rail services may still be operating. Crews are working to evaluate conditions and make necessary repairs.

Safety tips for traveling:

Before driving:

• Make sure your car is stocked with emergency items like blankets, a shovel, flashlight and extra batteries, extra warm clothing, set of tire chains, battery booster cables, quick energy foods and brightly-colored cloth to use as a distress flag.
• Keep your gas tank full to prevent gasoline freeze-up.
• If you have a cell phone or two-way radio available for your use, keep the battery charged and keep it with you whenever traveling. If you should become stranded, you will be able to call for help, advising rescuers of your location.
• Make sure someone knows your travel plans

As you drive:

• Always match your speed to the road and weather conditions.
• Keep your vehicle clear of ice and snow - good vision is key to good driving.
• Plan your stops and keep more distance between cars.
• Remember that snowdrifts can hide smaller children.

Government services

Yorktown has declared a State of Emergency.

South Nyack has declared a State of Emergency.

Putnam County has closed all non-essential government Offices at 12 Noon.This includes Putnam County Moves, our public transportation system, Croton Falls Commuters, any fixed route PART System, ParaTransit, Veteran’s Transports and Pre-K/EI Transportation to schools in Putnam and Westchester Counties. Remember to use 9-1-1 only in the event of an emergency. Our 9-1-1 staff is currently experiencing a high volume of calls and 9-1-1 should only be used when an emergency response is needed from police, fire or EMS. "With wind gusts up to 40 MPH expected in our area and icy conditions we are seeing numerous trees down into roadways, some of which have brought down power lines" said County Executive MaryEllen Odell, "This combined with snow and ice has made travel treacherous".

From the City of Poughkeepsie: With high winds expected to increase and continue throughout the day, we are asking that people please try to avoid travel in the City of Poughkeepsie due to tree limbs and trees which are susceptible to coming down due to hazardous weather conditions. The City is already responding to numerous reports of downed limbs. The photo below is of a tree down at the intersection of Hooker Avenue and South Cherry Street.

Outages

New York's utilities have a total of 3,800 in-house workers and contractors standing ready to assist in storm restoration efforts. This total includes resources obtained through mutual assistance. Con Edison has 425 line and tree workers on hand, plus 15 additional contractors; Central Hudson has 300 line and tree workers on hand, plus 50 additional contractors; PSEG Long Island has 705 line and tree workers, including 300 FEMA contractors, along with 50 additional contractors; National Grid has 1,200 line and tree workers on hand, NYSEG and RG&E have 785 line and tree workers on hand, plus 50 additional contractors and O&R has 210 line and tree workers on hand.

To check your power supplier, click on the links below:

• NYSEG
• O&R
• Con Edison
• Central Hudson

Currently there are more than 158,000 customers without power as winds and heavy, wet snow have downed limbs and power lines.

SEE:

• Almost 34K+ NYSEG Power Outages Friday
  
• 35K+ Con Ed Power Outages In Westchester
  
• 56K+ Central Hudson Customers Without Power Friday
  
• O&R UPDATE: 33K+ Out Of Power Friday
  

Cuomo urges residents to stay away from any lines that are down as they may be live, and offers the following safety tips:

How To Prepare for Power Outages

• At home or at work, keep a battery-operated radio and flashlight on hand, as well as a supply of batteries. Keep an emergency supply of water, medications, and non-perishable foods handy. If you use medication that requires refrigeration, most can be kept in a closed refrigerator for several hours without a problem - check with your physician or pharmacist.
• Make sure you have alternative charging methods for your phone or any device that requires power. Charge cell phones and any battery-powered devices.
• If you have space in your refrigerator or freezer, consider filling plastic containers with water, leaving an inch of space inside each one - this will help keep food cold if the power goes out.
• At home or at work, keep a battery-operated radio and flashlight on hand, as well as a supply of batteries. Keep an emergency supply of water, medications, and non-perishable foods handy. If you use medication that requires refrigeration, most can be kept in a closed refrigerator for several hours without a problem - check with your physician or pharmacist.
• Make sure you have alternative charging methods for your phone or any device that requires power. Charge cell phones and any battery-powered devices.
• If you have space in your refrigerator or freezer, consider filling plastic containers with water, leaving an inch of space inside each one - this will help keep food cold if the power goes out.

If You Lose Power

• Call your utility provider to notify them of the outage and listen to local broadcasts for official information. For a list of utilities, visit the New York State Department of Public Service Check to see if your neighbors have power. Check on people with access or functional needs.
• Use only flashlights for emergency lighting - candles pose the risk of fire.
• Keep refrigerators and freezer doors closed - most food requiring refrigeration can be kept safely in a closed refrigerator for several hours. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for approximately four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours.
• Do not use a charcoal grill indoors and do not use a gas stove for heat - they could give off harmful levels of carbon monoxide.
• In cold weather, stay warm by dressing in layers and minimizing time spent outdoors. Be aware of cold stress symptoms (i.e., hypothermia) and seek proper medical attention if symptoms appear.

The New York State Department of Public Service has extended Call Center Helpline hours today beginning at 7:30 A.M until 7:30 P.M., and will continue from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Saturday, March 3, as needed, to assist consumers in their storm restoration efforts. The Department of Public Service Call Center Helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-342-3377.

Have photos/videos of flooding or other storm damage? Email them to michael.woyton@patch.com and just note the location.

PHOTO: Mahopac, NY March 3, 2018/ Lanning Taliaferro

Image via Shutterstock