Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is preparing for a significant nor’easter expected to impact the Hudson Valley region starting Sunday and continuing through Monday afternoon. The storm is forecasted to bring wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour, rainfall of up to two inches, and possible coastal flooding. These conditions could result in downed trees and power lines, which may disrupt electric service.
To address potential outages, O&R has secured 150 mutual aid workers to join its emergency response team. This team includes company employees, contractor overhead line crews, tree removal experts, customer service operators, and other support staff who are ready to respond throughout the duration of the storm.
“Assume the wire is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also consider calling your local police to divert traffic from the downed wire’s location until an O&R crew arrives,” O&R advised.
Customers can report power outages or check restoration times through several channels: via the company’s website at Report an Electric Service Problem | Orange & Rockland (oru.com), using the O&R mobile app available on Apple Store or Google Play, by texting “OUT” to 678797 (ORUPWR), or by calling 1-877-434-4100.
Once it is safe after the storm passes, O&R crews will prioritize clearing downed wires that block roads and restoring power first to critical facilities such as police stations, fire departments, and hospitals. After these repairs are completed, work will continue on smaller outages affecting fewer customers.
The utility provided safety recommendations for residents during severe weather events:
– Do not approach any downed wires; keep at least 50 feet away.
– Supervise children and keep pets secure.
– Avoid touching pole-top transformers that have fallen.
– Use portable generators according to manufacturer instructions and never operate them indoors or near open windows.
– Keep emergency supplies like flashlights, batteries, a radio, first aid kit, medications, and important phone numbers accessible.
For those with electric vehicles (EVs), O&R recommends keeping EVs charged between 75%–90% before storms in case of extended outages. Home charging options include standard outlets or Level 2 chargers; public Level 2 or DCFC fast chargers are also available if home charging is not possible.
O&R serves approximately 300,000 electric customers in southeastern New York State under its franchise name Orange and Rockland Utilities and northern New Jersey as Rockland Electric Company. It also provides natural gas service to about 140,000 customers in New York. The company’s service area includes numerous communities across both states.
For further information about ongoing outages or restoration updates during storms, customers can access real-time details through the company’s online outage map.
