NYSEG brings in 500 workers ahead of nor’easter; Hochul declares state of emergency

ALBANY, N.Y. (WCAX) - A big nor’easter is working its way into our region and New York is preparing its power grid.

NYSEG says it has brought on an additional 500 people in preparation for possible power outages.

The utility reminds New Yorkers to charge their phones, put away some extra water and use caution if they must travel.

They anticipate heavy, wet snow in the region, so the first concern is downed power lines.

“The snow has the potential to bring down trees and limbs causing damage to overhead power lines and other electrical equipment, and it’s those downed lines because of tree limbs and because of heavy, wet snow accumulating that we worry about from a power company perspective,” said Shelby Cohen of NYSEG.

The utility is also asking for patience if the power does go out.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned this will be a dangerous storm.

“I also want to make sure that people know that we are going to be declaring a state of emergency beginning at 8 p.m. tonight. This is how we can amplify the message that this is serious, but also allows us to deploy resources and do extraordinary, extraordinary measures to protect the safety of our residents and their properties,” said Hochul, D-New York.

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