NYSEG Responding to Outages from Damaging Winds

More than 40,000 customers impacted by ongoing weather system

Crews remain engaged to restore power quickly and efficiently


BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — 1:00 p.m. December 19, 2025 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) is responding to power outages caused by ongoing damaging winds across the region. Since late Thursday evening, 40,000 customers have been affected, with service restored to more than 29,000 as of today. More than 590 line crews and 290 tree crews remain actively engaged in ongoing restoration efforts. 

The storm has impacted all divisions in the Companies’ service territories, with the most significant outages taking place in the following divisions: approximately 1,750 customers remain without power in the company’s Brewster division, (Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties), 4,800 customers in the Oneonta divison (Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie, and Ulster Counties),  and 1,220 customers in the Plattsburg division (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, and St. Lawrence Counties).

Last night’s winds reached gusts of upwards of 60 mph in parts of New York. Initial reports from responding crews indicate that the severe weather caused downed trees and tree limbs as well as downed wires and broken poles throughout the region. Storm response teams remain fully engaged around the clock, and will remain engaged until all customers are restored. They are working to assess damage, make downed wires safe, clear fallen tree debris from the roads, and restore power when it is safe and possible to do so. 

NYSEG urges customers to stay clear of storm debris as it may contain downed wires or other damaged equipment. Customers should assume all downed wires are energized and dangerous and should be reported by calling NYSEG’s emergency line at 1.800.572.1131 or contacting 911. 

 

Company Preparations 

Readying Crews

In preparation for the event, the company positioned additional line and tree personnel across the state to assist with restoration efforts if needed. Company and contractor crews are facilitating an effective and efficient response should outages occur.

 

Equipment Summary

The line and tree crews will be prepared to respond to any weather-related issues with bucket trucks, auger trucks, dump trucks, and backhoes.

 

How to Stay Up to Date

  • Sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates automatically by phone, text or email as the Companies update the status of the restoration process in their area. Customers can sign up for outage alerts by visiting here for NYSEG .
  • Customers can use the NYSEG 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.
     

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 1.800.572.1131 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 1.800.572.1131.
  • 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.
     

Power Restoration Priorities:

The Company's first prioriity priority is to respond to reports of downed power lines to keep the public safe. NYSEG customers are asked to call 1.800.572.1131 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.
     

As restoration is completed: As restoration is completed, NYSEG encourages any customer still without power to contact NYSEG at 1.800.572.1131  to report the issue and allow crews to investigate. Once every customer is restored, the Company will continue to fix remaining damage that occurred, but did not affect customers or the reliability of service. That will then be followed by a full system sweep of all affected circuits to look for damage or issues that may have been missed but that could cause service disruptions in the future, such as tree limbs on power lines or leaning trees.

In the meantime, NYSEG will continue to provide updates throughout the event to the general public on the Company’ssocial media channels.

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/X: @NYSEandG
•    Instagram: @nyseg.co

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Media Contact:
Adam Gaber
adam.gaber@avangrid.com
917.224.6176