NYSEG shares plan for restoring power to Southern Tier

SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. ( WETM ) — NYSEG shared information about how the company plans to restore power to the Southern Tier after storms caused outages for thousands of customers on Monday night and Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Tuesday afternoon news release from NYSEG , dozens of utility poles snapped and hundreds of wires were downed in the Southern Tier during the storms that brought heavy rain, hail, and wind gusts of up to 70 mph in some areas. Almost 30,000 NYSEG customers in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties lost power on Monday evening, and about 20,000 were still without power on Tuesday evening.

NYSEG says that crews are staged around the area and are working to restore power and assess the damage. The company had 112 line workers in the area as of about 3 p.m. on July 16 and had more on the way. It also has 10 tree crew personnel to assist with restoration efforts. Crews will continue working through the night on Tuesday.

NYSEG estimated that power should be back for most customers in the Southern Tier by Tuesday night, but it could take several days for power to be back in more rural areas due to the severity of the damage. NYSEG’s outage map didn’t have estimated restoration times for any of the outages across the Southern Tier at the time this story was published.

The company said that its first priority is to repair downed power lines to keep the public safe. After that, it assesses damage to the electricity delivery system, develops a restoration plan, and makes repairs as quickly as possible.

You can report downed power lines to NYSEG by calling 800-572-1131. NYSEG urges people to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines. If a downed wire comes in contact with the vehicle you’re in, stay inside and wait for help. If you have to leave the vehicle because of a fire or other immediate danger, NYSEG says to jump clear of the vehicle, avoid touching the vehicle and the car at the same time, land with your feet together, and hop with your feet together or shuffle away: do not run or stride.

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