Power has been restored to more than 90 percent of customers affected by the recent ice storm to impact northeastern Dutchess County and southern Columbia County. The transmission lines damaged by the storm are repaired and in service, and as of 4:30 p.m. today, crews are addressing 90 individual cases to restore service to the remaining 970 customers without power. While power will be restored to a substantial majority of these customers tonight, crews are expecting to continue working tomorrow to address outages in outlying areas, particularly those affecting single customers. Also, new outages are being reported as ice-laden trees in some areas continue to fall onto power lines.

A new storm system is forecast to begin overnight through Friday, calling for snowfall transitioning to heavy rain throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley region. The storm is also expected to bring gusty winds, which could cause trees to fall and trigger new power outages, particularly in areas already affected by rain-saturated grounds and ice-covered trees.

If power is lost, customers should continue to call Central Hudson’s PowerLine at (845) 452-2700 or 1-800-527-2714 to report their power condition, and are encouraged to use the automated reporting system. Customers with access to a computer may also report their power condition via the utility’s website, www.CentralHudson.com, by using the StormCentral function. Information regarding service restoration estimates, as it becomes available, can be obtained by phone and on-line, and updates are posted on Facebook and Twitter. A mobile version of the utility’s website, including StormCentral, can be accessed by web-enabled cell phones and mobile devices at http://mobile.CentralHudson.com.

Customers are also reminded to stay clear of downed or sagging wires and check on frail or elderly neighbors, relatives or friends. Do not heat homes with unvented heaters, gas ranges or outdoor grills, as these pose a fire hazard and can give off deadly carbon monoxide gas. Similarly, generators should be operated only in a dry, vented location.

For more safety tips during storms and power interruptions, see the StormCentral section of www.CentralHudson.com.

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