NYSEG outage to keep customers "without power for multiple days"

There are about 9,800 customers without power in New York State and nearly 4,800 in Erie County, according to NYSEG's website.

A NYSEG spokesperson told us while they hope to have a "good portion" of their customers restored today, some will be "without power for multiple days."

Restoration times for several communities are listed as being Saturday evening or 'assessing.' 

Right now, the situation is looking similar to the March 2017 windstorm, where thousands of customers across Western New York lost power for days because of 60 mph winds.

Many customers were left in the dark in chilly temperatures, with no idea when their power would be restored. Governor Andrew Cuomo then directed the New York State Public Service Commission to conduct an investigation into the restoration response by both RG&E and NYSEG. 

The results of the investigation found that AVANGRID, which owns the two utilities, violated its own emergency response plan.

Owners of NYSEG, RG&E potentially face millions of dollars in financial penalties after wind storm

So far, NYSEG has not been silent on the restoration issue. Check out their tweets from earlier today:

High winds have knocked out a portion of power to customers in counties like Erie. We have line personnel throughout all of our service territories, assessing & actively working to restore power. Check out our Outage List for county updates at https://t.co/XKPpsSBULx

— NYSEG (@NYSEandG) April 4, 2018

Crews are currently addressing potential safety threats, such as downed wires & broken poles. During this phase, we work to restore service to hospitals, first responders & emergency evacuation centers vital to public safety as directed by local & state officials

— NYSEG (@NYSEandG) April 4, 2018

County Executive Mark Poloncarz has also chimed in, providing details on a local warming shelter:

If people are without power and cold I have been advised there is a warming shelter at Ebenezer United Church of Christ, 630 Main Street in West Seneca. I suggest you call before to ensure hours of operation: 716-674-4566. You can also go to local community centers.

— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) April 5, 2018

Need to know when your power will be restored? Review NYSEG's outage information here.