NYSEG Responding After Severe Weather Monday Night Disrupts Service

Company expects to restore 95% of affected customers by 11:30 p.m. tomorrow (3/9)

BINGHAMTON, New York — March 8, 2022, 5:00 p.m. — NYSEG continues to respond after last night’s severe weather impacted the region. As a result of this storm, roughly 65,000 customers had been impacted across New York. Presently, 12,000 customers remain without power.  These existing outages are mainly in the company’s divisions of Binghamton with 4,200 customers and in Oneonta where 6,800 customers are currently without power. The Binghamton and Oneonta divisions include Broome, Chenango, Tioga, Delaware, Greene, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie, and Ulster counties.

Based on initial damage assessments, the company expects to restore 95% of the affected customers by 11:30 p.m. tomorrow March 9^th.  Smaller pockets of outages in heavily damaged areas could persist into Thursday. We encourage customers to continue checking their estimated time of restoration on our website or mobile app, as company personnel will continue to update it as restorations proceed. 

While make safe and restoration work continues, the company urges customers to remain away from storm debris as it may contain downed wires or other damaged equipment. All downed wires should be assumed as energized and be reported by calling NYSEG’s emergency line or contacting 911, and tree removal should be left to professionals. During the overnight hours the company shifted resources from other locations and continues to bring in fresh resources to assist those working since the event’s impact, including affiliate resources from United Illuminating and Canadian resources to address the areas hardest hit. The company’s storm response team is fully engaged and crews are working continuously to complete damage assessment, make safe, set estimated restoration times and make repairs to restore service to the remaining affected customers. While resources will strive to restore as many remaining customers within the first 24 hours of this event, some locations may remain without power during the overnight tonight. A global restoration time for customers will be available later today. The company is coordinating response efforts with state and local emergency management authorities.

Stay Informed

NYSEG will continue to provide updates throughout the event to the general public on the company’s website and social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). The company also offers customers the following reminders to stay safe during a power outage.

• Use our new mobile app to report and check the status of outages. To download the application, customers should search “AVANGRID” in the Apple or Android app stores and select “NYSEG.” The application is free to download.
• Sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates automatically by phone, text, or email as the company updates the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up for outage alerts by visiting here for NYSEG.

 

Stay Away From Downed Wires

• Stay at least 30 feet from a downed power line.
• 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.
• NYSEG customers should call 800.572.1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations.

 

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 NYSEG at 800.572.1131.
• 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.

 

Flooding Preparation and Safety Tips

• If flooding of a home or business has already occurred or is about to occur, customers should contact us to have electricity and natural gas service turned off. Call NYSEG at 800.572.1131 to report electricity emergencies; for natural gas emergencies, call 800.572.1121. Customers should never attempt to turn off electric and natural gas service.
• Stay out of flooded basements. Energized wiring or outlets below the water line may pose a hazard; natural gas service in a flooded basement may also pose a danger.
• To have service restored once flood waters have receded, customers should contact NYSEG to discuss specific circumstances. A safety inspection by a certified inspector may be necessary before service can be restored. Additionally, the basement must be free of water and the equipment must be clean and free of debris. Customers and contractors should never attempt to turn on electric or gas service.

 

Power Restoration Priorities

The company’s first priorities are to respond to reports of downed power lines to keep the public safe. NYSEG customers are asked to call 800.572.1131 to report downed wires. Once this vital public safety work is complete, the company will:

• Assess the damage to the electricity delivery system.
• Develop a detailed restoration plan.
• Make repairs as quickly as possible.

For additional information, including storm preparation tips, storm safety information, generator safety information, restoration priorities and emergency resources, visit Outage Central at NYSEG.com and on the company’s social media pages:

• Facebook: @NYSEandG
• Twitter: @NYSEandG

NYSEG is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc.

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