Upper Saddle River Police Department

2 days ago

STORM WATCH
ORANGE AND ROCKLAND UTILITIES PREPS FOR SEVERE WEATHER SUNDAY; STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HEAVY RAIN, POSSIBLY DAMAGING T- STORMS EXPECTED

PEARL RIVER, NY Dec. 8, 2023 1:00 p.m. --- Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) is preparing to mobilize its emergency response workforce to repair potential damage and restore possible power outages that could result from strong gusty winds, heavy rainfall and possibly severe isolated thunderstorms throughout the region between 8 p.m. Sunday and 3 a.m. Monday.

A heavy thunderstorm could pose a significant threat to electric service because its associated high winds and lightning strikes contribute to downing trees, tree limbs and overhead electric lines --- all of which could interfere with the safe, reliable delivery of electric service.

The storm is expected to bring 1-3 inches of rain and winds sustained at 10-25 mph with gusts of 35-45 mph. Those gusty winds are expected to linger through early evening Monday when the storm exits the area in a mix of rain and snow. No accumulation of snow is expected.

O&R company and contractor overhead line crews and tree removal experts, customer service operators and the rest of the members of the O&R emergency response team will be activated and deployed early Sunday evening.

O&R Warns
For safety’s sake, O&R warns the public not to touch or approach any downed wire. Assume the wire is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also consider calling your local police to divert traffic from the downed wire’s location until an O&R crew arrives.

How to Customer’s Can Report an Outage
If customer’s experience a power outage, they shouldn’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it. They can report it and check to see when their lights will be back on through:
• Report an Electric Service Problem | Orange & Rockland (oru.com) from any computer or web-based mobile device.
• O&R mobile app from your iPhone, iPad or Android device --- download via Apple Store or Google Play.
• Text messaging by texting “OUT” to 69678 (myORU) or
• Call 1-877-434-4100.

For the latest information about power outages, please view O&R’s Outage Map.

For a brief video that provides a step-by-step guide to the Outage Map’s basic operation:

• In English
• In Spanish

Restoring Service
Once the weather clears enough to safely assess damage and begin electric service restoration, O&R crews will give priority to clearing downed wires blocking roads and making repairs to critical and emergency facilities (police and fire stations, and hospitals, for example) and to those locations where the repair will provide power to the largest number of customers as quickly as possible. Then, crews will restore smaller outages and individual customers’ outages.

Important Safety Tips
• For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.

• Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with including puddles of water and fences. Supervise your children so that they are not in the vicinity and keep pets on a leash or otherwise secure.

• If a fallen wire is draped over a car, do not approach the car to make rescue attempts. Remain a safe distance away and try to keep the occupant of the vehicle calm. If possible, emergency personnel should handle the situation.

• Pole-top transformers --- those small, grey-colored metal drums attached to the wires at the tops of most utility poles --- also should be avoided when they have been knocked to the ground.

• Portable generators pose a serious hazard if used improperly. They should be used and installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A wrong connection could feed electricity back through the lines and endanger our repair crews. Never plug a generator into a wall unit, use it indoors or set it up outdoors near open home windows or air-handling vents.

• Have emergency equipment within reach --- portable radio, flashlights, spare batteries, first aid kit, cell phone and important medications. Keep O&R’s toll-free number 1-877-434-4100 near the phone to report power outages.

• Remember: if the base station of your cordless phone plugs into the wall, your phone will be unusable during a power outage.

How To Prepare Your EV for A Power Outage
Just as is the case with traditional gasoline vehicles, you need to ensure your electric car is fueled up in the event there is a power outage that lasts longer than expected.

Guidance is to always keep your EV charged between 75-90% in case of an emergency.

While EVs don’t need a gas station, they do need to be charged up, which is easily done at home.

All EVs come with a plug and adapter that are compatible with the outlets in your garage or outside your house. Furthermore, there are Level 2 chargers available for your home. These charge your vehicle at a higher rate than a regular outlet because they use 220 volts, just like what a clothes dryer uses.

Can’t charge at home? Take your vehicle to a publicly accessible Level 2 or DCFC Fast Charger. ... See MoreSee Less

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