Due to a Higher Wind Forecast Today, O&R Acquires a Total of 200 Mutual Aid Workers for Monday Mobilization

Due to a new forecast today predicting higher potentially damaging winds over the next two days, Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R) has acquired a total of 200 additional overhead line contractors in preparation for a Monday morning mobilization of the company’s emergency response team. Those new contractors, added to O&R’s existing team of overhead line workers, nearly triple the size of O&R’s overhead line workforce for this event.

O&R company and contractor overhead line crews and tree removal experts, customer service operators and the entire O&R emergency response team will be activated and deployed at 6 a.m. Monday. The team will be mobilized to repair potential damage and restore possible power outages that could result from severe winds gusting as high as 60 mph from 10 a.m. through 9 p.m. Monday. Winds also are expected to gust as high as 50 mph from 9 p.m. Monday through midnight. O&R also will increase normal crewing to meet the demands of the Sunday night winds, which are expected to gust as high as 40 mph.

For safety’s sake, O&R warns the public not to touch or approach any downed wire. 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.