POUGHKEEPSIE – The city’s fireworks display at Waryas Park went off as originally planned, despite widespread storm damage throughout the city. A severe storm warning was issued for Dutchess County Saturday evening as people began to arrive at the park. The storm arrived just after 7 pm, sending people running for shelter at the waterfront park. Pop-up tents were observed flying through the air as the storm intensified and people left the park.
City police and fire department personnel were inundated with 911 calls reporting trees down, power lines arching, and power outages, and were working to secure the affected areas.
As the storm ravaged the area, the Walkway Over the Hudson canceled the Independence Day festivities it had planned. City officials decided to wait for the storm to pass before making a decision. When the weather began to clear, those who were able returned to the park, while many others were unable to find routes not blocked by trees or downed power lines.
Bain Avenue was closed due to a tree across the road, delaying the exiting fireworks traffic. At the intersection of Delafield and Whinfield Streets, a downed power line was being blocked by the Poughkeepsie Fire Department, to prevent cars from coming into contact with the live wires.
Just after 9 pm, the city proceeded with the fireworks show while more than 15,000 city residents were without power, according to the Central Hudson outage map. Many of the outages were reported around 7:30 p.m., and power had not been restored as of 10:45 p.m. In total, across Central Hudson’s coverage area, there were still almost 47,000 customers without power at 10:45 p.m.
Central Hudson published a notice on its website with the following message:
Central Hudson crews are responding to the power outages caused by the recent storm activity. Our crews will work until the last customer is restored.
Customers are reminded to stay at least 30 feet away from any downed power lines. Remember that power lines may be entangled and hidden in fallen trees. Assume that all downed lines are live.
Customers can report outages and stay informed of restoration conditions in the following ways:
- On the Web: Visit cenhud.com/Storms to report outages and obtain restoration updates.
- By phone: Call (845) 452-2700 or 1-800-527-2714, and please use the automated system to report or monitor your power condition.
- By text messaging: To enroll, visit cenhud.com/alerts or text REG to 236483. Once enrolled, text OUT to 236483 to report the outage.
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