Cleanup From Isaias Will Take Days: Rockland County Executive

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Widespread damage from Tropical Storm Isaias on Tuesday will take days to completely repair, County Executive Ed Day warned Rockland residents Wednesday afternoon.

By 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, Orange and Rockland Utilities had restored power to almost 100,000 of the homes and businesses without power in its service area; however, 104,345 customers were still without power. In Rockland County, 40,043 customers were still out of service at 4:30 p.m., down from 56,224 customers Wednesday morning.

O&R estimates that Isaias' storm damage will rank second only to Superstorm Sandy which cut electrical service to 250,000 customers.

"The damage done in the hours when Isaias moved through our area is devastating," Day said in a statement. "After taking part in a conference call with Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) today it is clear that we all must prepare for the worst."

Isaias wreaked havoc on O&R’s transmission infrastructure. O&R officials said crews began Tuesday evening working to repair 10 transmission lines, which deliver bulk power into the O&R system from the electric grid.

O&R officials said work also began Tuesday on other fronts to assess damage, address top public safety issues, clear critical roads and restore locations that provide critical services. That included restoring electric service to eight hospitals.

The Rockland Office of Fire and Emergency Services checked the status of power at adult care facilities and coordinated with O&R to make them a priority, Day said. "Elderly residents are the most at risk due to the heat and we must do everything possible to make sure they are taken care of."

O&R activated its company and contractor overhead line crews and tree removal experts for storm duty beginning Tuesday. Before the storm hit, the company also hired 50 additional contractor overhead line technicians to supplement its storm response and was seeking 50 more. On Wednesday, the company added 150 more contractor overhead line technicians and sought another 750 overhead line technicians from its mutual aid and contractor partners.

"The level of staffing was inadequate to deal with the effects of this storm. O&R needs to step up their game immediately," Day said.

The utility company is hoping to have global power restoration estimates posted by 7 p.m. Wednesday with more specific and detailed information within each County by 7 p.m. Thursday, Orange County Emergency Management reported on Facebook.

Rockland has provided nearly 20 generators to local municipalities to power traffic lights and will continue to assist as able.

Here is a list of cooling centers operated by Rockland’s towns:

• Town of Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Ave, New City, M-F 9 am – 5 pm
• Street Community Center, 31 Zukor Rd, New City, 11 am – 10 pm
• Pascack Community Center, 87 New Clarkstown Rd, Nanuet, 10 am – 6 pm
• Congers Community Center, 8 Gilchrest Rd, Congers, 10 am – 9 pm
• Town of Haverstraw Town Hall, 1 Rosman Rd, Garnerville, M-F 9 am – 5 pm
• Town of Orangetown Town Hall, 26 Orangeburg Rd, Orangeburg, M-F 9 am – 9 pm (On wknds contact Police Dept.)
• Town of Ramapo Town Hall, 237 NY-59, Suffern, M-F 9 am – 5 pm (If emergency contact Police Dept.)

However, the RHO Building, 5 Club House Lane, Stony Point is closed because it does not have power, Day said.