NYSEG Restoration Efforts Progressing - 11:30 am

Company expects to restore all impacted customers today
Crews dedicated to ensure reliability at polling stations 

BINGHAMTON, NY — November 3, 2020, 11:30 am EST — NYSEG announced today that crews continue to make progress across the Liberty division after strong winds disrupted service to thousands of customers on Monday. The company expects to restore all impacted customers in the Liberty division by the end of the day. Currently, approximately 660 customers are without power in the Liberty division, which includes  Orange, Sullivan, Delaware and Ulster counties.

Crews continued working overnight to restore power and focused on a number of key priorities, including: making downed wires safe, clearing roads of fallen trees and other debris and made restorations along the way. The remaining damage is widespread throughout the division and customers continue to be restored with each repair. There are many instances of damaged infrastructure that require time consuming repair in order to restore a few customers at a time. Additional crews have arrived in the division to expedite the restoration process and bring power back to customers as safely and quickly as possible.

As today is Election Day, NYSEG is also dedicating crews to ensure the reliability of service at polling locations. Additionally, the company has designated polling sites as critical facilities to prioritize restoration efforts should an outage occur that impacts a polling location.

After Restoration: NYSEG encourages any customer without power after restoration is complete to contact the company at 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. The system will then be returned to normal conditions.

COVID-19: Recognizing that many residents are currently home due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, for everyone’s safety, the company asks customers to observe a six-foot social distance if they must be near workers and always remain outside the work zone. Allowing crews to remain uninterrupted and focused on their work enables workers to determine damage and make repairs more quickly.

NYSEG will continue to provide updates throughout the event to the general public on the company’s social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). The company also offers customers the following reminders to prepare for the storm and stay safe if power outages do occur.

Outage Information

  • Sign up for Outage Alerts to receive updates automatically by phone, text, or e-mail 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. 
  • Customers can use the new 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 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.

Power Restoration Priorities
The company’s first priority is 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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About NYSEG: New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1852, NYSEG operates approximately 35,000 miles of electric distribution lines and 4,500 miles of electric transmission lines across more than 40% of upstate New York. It also operates more than 8,150 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 20 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 894,000 electricity customers and 266,000 natural gas customers. For more information, visit www.nyseg.com. 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $36 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com

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