Crews from RG&E prepared for strong winds to storm the region; thousands of power outages were recorded

Rochester, New York – High winds are expected to arrive in the area on Wednesday afternoon and continue throughout Thursday, according to RG&E.

Hundreds of crew members are stationed throughout the state and are prepared to respond in case of emergency, according to a spokeswoman for Avangrid, the parent company of RG&E and NYSEG.

Those without electricity as of late Wednesday night include:

• More than 4,000 in Wayne County
• More than 1,500 in Monroe County
• More than 1,000 in Ontario County
• More than 900 in Seneca County
• More than 500 in Yates County
• More than 400 in Steuben County

According to the company, high winds can topple trees and branches, endangering electrical equipment and power lines.

As soon as it is safe to do so, crews, according to RG&E, want to begin repairing any potential storm damage.

“When we’re dealing with wind gusts, I know it’s forecasted up to 60 mile per hour winds, customers need to keep in mind that we can’t raise our bucket trucks up when there are wind gusts exceeding 35 or 40 mph,” explained Alexis Arnold, communications manager for Avangrid. “Safety is also important for our customers as well. So we want to remind our customers in events like this to stay away from downed powerlines or any debris where there could be powerlines underneath. Call 911 or call us to handle that. Don’t attempt to remove it yourself.”

The best course of action is to ensure that your phone is fully charged and to always have flashlights that run on batteries handy in case of an emergency.