Thousands in Ulster County without power after storms; executive declares state of emergency
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan declared a State of Emergency early Thursday morning after intense storms swept through much of the region the night before, causing flash floods, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 21,000 homes in the county.
As of 2:30 a.m., Central Hudson had restored power to more than half of those impacted. Approximately 6,600 customers were still without service.
“I have committed county resources to provide critical emergency services and to clear our roadways safely and efficiently," Ryan said in a statement. "Additionally, we have activated our Emergency Operations Center and are working closely with local officials to respond to storm impacts. Given the dangerous conditions, I am encouraging all residents to stay off of the roads.”
From 8 a.m. Thursday until 8 a.m. Friday, traffic on the county road system will be limited to essential service and emergency vehicles, according to Ryan's statement.
The majority of locals still without power can expect to have electricity restored by the end of the day on Thursday, said Ryan Hawthorne, the vice president of electric engineering and operations at Central Hudson, in a statement. However, he added, some customers who live in heavily impacted areas might have to wait until Friday to turn on the lights.
Kingston, Marbletown, Hurley, Esopus and Ulster were among the communities hardest hit by power outages, according to Central Hudson.
Central Hudson crews, including approximately 60 additional mutual aid workers, were working throughout the morning Thursday to restore power.
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To help residents without power, Ulster County is opening a cooling center at 2nda Iglesia La Mision Church, located at 80 Elmendorf Street in Kingston, according to Ryan's statement.
Ulster County's Emergency Operations Center was activated during Wednesday night's storm, according to Ryan's statement, and will continue to monitor the situation, assess storm damage and manage incident response.
Central Hudson is encouraging residents of impacted areas to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and to remember that these wires can sometimes be obscured by fallen tree branches and other debris.
Residents should always assume any downed power lines are live, the power company's statement said.
The company also advised residents to avoid using gas or charcoal grills inside, avoid the use of candles, turn off the main break in a house before using emergency generators, and to beware of fallen trees and branches and be particularly careful when driving.
Central Hudson will be distributing dry ice and bottled water to residents still without power from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Kingston plaza, located at 151 Plaza Road in Kingston, and Hudson Valley Farm Hub located at 1875 Hurley Mountain Road in Hurley.
Central Hudson customers can stay informed of storm and restoration conditions by visiting CentralHudson.com/Storms or calling the Central Hudson PowerLine at (845) 452-2700 or 1-800-527-2714.
If a member of your household needs electricity to operate life sustaining equipment, the statement encourages you to contact customer service at (845) 452-2700.
Erin Nolan is an investigative reporter for the Times Herald-Record and USA Today Network. Reach her at enolan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Ulster County power outage hits thousands after thunderstorms
