BUFFALO, N.Y. — Power outages remain widespread after gusty winds battered much of Western New York Saturday afternoon and evening.
As of 5:00 a.m. Monday, according to National Grid's outage map, there were still 682 outages impacting more than 6,400 customers. The bulk of those customers, in Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties. According to the company's website, many of the estimated restoration times are late Monday night.
As of 5:00 a.m. Monday, over 1,300 NYSEG customers were still without power in Western New York. This number is down from over 22,000 late Saturday night.
Of the power outages reported Sunday afternoon, NYSEG's power outage map shows over 5,000 were in Erie County. Some of the affected areas include Orchard Park, West Seneca, Elma, Depew, and Clarence. As of Monday morning that number is closer to 1,100. Like National Grid, many of these outages aren't expected to be resolved until late Monday or early Tuesday.
As crews continue to make those necessary repairs, there are several road closures Monday morning.
- Lancaster- Schwartz Road is closed between Erie Street and Westwood Road.
- Elma- Rice Road is closed between Dellwood Drive and Meadowbrook Drive.
- East Concord- Pratham Road between Middle Road and Davis Hill Road
- East Concord- Foote Road between Pratham Road and Route 240.
National Grid told 2 On Your Side that a field force of more than 3,300 workers has been working around the clock to remove downed wires, trees, tree limbs, broken poles, and other hazards from parts of Upstate New York.
National Grid distributed dry ice and bottled water Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. in several locations to help those impacted by the storm. Customers are being told to bring a bag or cooler to transport the ice and water.
National Grid also implemented its comprehensive emergency response plan, which includes using out-of-state resources, pre-staging crews in areas expected to be the most affected, and calling life support and critical facility customers to make sure they are prepared.
To make sure everyone is safe, people are reminded to notify National Grid of power outages, never touch down power lines and report them to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or 911.
National Grid is reminding people that generators should be run outside to prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide. People should also disconnect from National Grid's system by shutting off the main breaker to ensure your neighbor's and crews' safety when using a generator.
People who depend on electrically powered life support should register as life support customers by calling National Grid at 1-800-642-4272.
To get text message alerts about a power outage on your property test "REG" to 64743, you can also report an outage by texting "OUT" to that same number.
The National Grid's Outage Central web page provides more information about outages.
NYSEG will provide updates throughout the event to the general public on their website and social media channels (Facebook and Twitter). Customers should also sign up for outage alerts and download the NYSEG mobile app to get the most up-to-date information.