Tens of thousands of people remain without power Thursday morning after high winds led to downed trees and power lines across Western New York.
As of 7:00 a.m., more than 75,000 National Grid customers were without power: 15,000 in Genesee County, around 4,300 in Erie County, 21,00 in Niagara County, 2,500 in Chautauqua County, 2,200 in Cattaraugus County and 10,900 in Orleans County.
National Grid reports that more than 1,600 people were working Wednesday evening across Western New York to repair power. More than 300 additional resources were expected to arrive overnight.
As of 7:00 a.m., National Grid estimates power will be restored to Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties by Thursday night at midnight. Crews are still assessing the conditions in Erie, Niagara and Genesee Counties and have not provided an estimated restoration time.
Photo Gallery: Wind damage across WNY
An additional 25,000 NYSEG customers are without power, including nearly 17,000 in Erie County, 2,000 in Niagara County and 4,000 in Wyoming County.
Scherff Road in Orchard Park is closed due to a downed tree and power lines @ErieCountyDPW @ErieCountyESU pic.twitter.com/XjHKjv1oQJ
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) March 8, 2017
According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the Clarence Department on Power and Water district has the most damage with several trees down with utility poles. He says the trees cannot be cleared until the utility lines are cleared.
Wind gusts greater than 60 MPH have been reported across parts of Western New York. For a frame of reference, a category 1 hurricane can sustain winds between 74 and 95 MPH.
 |
|
 |
|
