Thousands of electric customers across the Twin Tiers lost power when severe thunderstorms rumbled through the region Monday.
Many of those residents remained without power Tuesday, and utility company crews scrambled to restore service while other emergency responders worked to remove downed trees and deal with other damage the storm left in its wake.
New York State Electric & Gas reported about 24,000 customers in the Elmira Division, which includes Steuben, Schuyler and Chemung counties, were without electricity Tuesday morning. By around 3 p.m., approximately 20,200 customers remained without power.
The Elmira division has 112-line workers in the area with more on the way, NYSEG said, in addition to 10 tree crew personnel to help with restoration efforts.
Meanwhile, Steuben Rural Electric reported 81 outages in Bath, 153 in Cameron, 49 in Thurston, 61 in Woodhull, 116 in Rathbone, and 326 in Tuscarora as of Tuesday morning.
The damage was less severe in Broome County, but around 1,600 NYSEG customers were without power in Broome Tuesday morning.
In Tioga County, Pennsylvania, more than 2,000 Wellsboro Electric customers were affected by ongoing power outages.
In Schuyler County, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, just under 4,000 customers were without power. The hardest hit areas are the Village of Burdett, where all 189 customers are without power. In Montour Falls, Montour and the towns of Hector and Dix, nearly half of NYSEG customers are without power. For all without power, the estimated restoration time is 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
NYSEG’s Ithaca division, which includes Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties, had approximately 5,900 customers without power at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Ithaca division has 86 lineworkers on scene, with more crews en route, the company said, in addition to 10 tree crew personnel to assist with restoration efforts.
NYSEG expected to have the majority of customers restored by Tuesday evening, while others can expect to be restored over the next few days due to the severity of damage, the company said in a news release.
Downed trees and power lines, fires in aftermath of storm
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said there have been multiple reports of fires breaking out along Maple Avenue in Elmira and in the Pine City area, along with downed trees and power lines around the county.
In Steuben County, Monday’s storm left an extensive trail of damage and thousands without power, according to Timothy D. Marshall, the county’s director of public safety.
Marshall said hardest hit were the towns of Woodhull, Tuscarora, Lindley, Erwin, Campbell, Thurston, Hornby and both the town and city of Corning. The Corning Fire Department said portions of trees came down and hit cars and homes.
“There was no major damage in the city,” said Corning City Fire Chief Brad Davies. “Some limbs and trees did hit houses and vehicles, but the damage around the city was relatively minimal.”
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Marshall said downed trees and fallen power lines made driving tricky, and officials asked residents to limit travel while crews worked to clear debris.
Local fire departments and electric crews worked overnight, responding to multiple calls for service, Marshall said.
Where to find water, ice, cooling stations in Chemung County during power outage
From 4:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Chemung County Emergency Management will be conducting a waterdistribution at the Erin Town Hall, 1138 New York State Route 223 in Erin. All Chemung County residents without water are welcome and are advised to bring a bag.
Starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Chemung County Emergency Management announced it will be conducting a water distribution at the following locations:
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Southport Volunteer Fire Department, 1001 Carl St, Elmira, NY 14904
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East Water Street and Dewitt Ave Parking Lot, adjacent to the Clarion Inn, across the street from the Chemung County Nursing Facility
All Chemung County residents without water are welcome and are advised to bring a bag, said the county.
Additionally, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Chemung County Office of Emergency Management will hold an ice distribution event at Ice Company of Elmira, located at 401 Madison Ave. Residents without power will be allowed to have 2-7 pound bags.
Chemung County is coordinating with NYSEG to distribute dry ice and additional water. Details to follow.
In the Town of Caitlin, residents without power may find potable water at the Wesleyan Church, located at the corner of Chambers Road and Route 414. People will be on site to help residents.
Chemung County has established cooling stations that are available now at these Elmira locations:
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Steele Memorial Library, 101 E Church St.
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New Beginnings United Methodist Church, 300 E Miller St.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Staff writer Neal Simon contributed to this story. Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Offers start as low as $1.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Thunderstorms leave wake of damage, power outages in Southern Tier
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