Oneonta: NYSEG Releases Daily Storm Restoration Work Plan, Assigns Crew to Every Outage Cause – 6:30 am

Company expects to restore all customers today

BINGHAMTON, New York — December 26, 2020, 6:30 a.m. — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) released its daily restoration plan for work that will be completed on Saturday in its Oneonta division, after strong winds and heavy rain disrupted service to thousands of customers on Friday. The company announced that a crew has been assigned to address every cause of outage and expects to restore 95 percent of customers in the Oneonta division by 11:00 p.m. today. Currently, approximately 1,046 customers are without power in the company’s Oneonta Division which includes Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie, Ulster counties.

Details of Saturday’s Work Plan

Resource and Crewing Information: The company continues to onboard additional resources to expedite restoration efforts in the Oneonta division. Due to the widespread nature of the damage, crews will be working in communities throughout the entire service area. Yesterday’s storm caused numerous trees to have fallen down that blocked roads, broke poles and downed wires. NYSEG’s damage assessors reported roughly 26 downed wires and 7 broken poles.

Operational Expectations: Every outage has been assigned to a crew today and will be worked on until repairs are complete and power is restored. Crews will be spread throughout the division making critical repairs as safely and quickly as possible. There continue to be many instances of damaged infrastructure that require time consuming repair in order to restore less than 10 customers. Additionally, the remaining outages represent the most challenging areas for the field crews to access and repair.

NYSEG expects to restore all customers by the end of the day expect those who are in locations inaccessible due to flooding conditions or have damaged electrical equipment in need of repair. Crews will continue to work until the job is done.
The company acknowledges how difficult it is for customers that are still without power and assures customers that we are doing everything we can to get their power back on as quickly as possible.

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.

Outage Information

  • 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 .
  • You can 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.

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 companies’ first priorities are 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.

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

  • Facebook: @NYSEandG
  • Twitter: @NYSEandG
 

 

Media Contacts:

  • Sarah Warren
    sarah.warren@avangrid.com
    585.794.9253
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