Ulster County declares state of emergency as over 40,000 lose power

The ice has caused downed trees and power lines.

News 12 Staff

Feb 4, 2022, 8:51 PM

Updated 981 days ago

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Officials in Ulster County declared a state of emergency Friday due to power outages and dangerous conditions from an ice storm.
Authorities say more than 40,000 customers are without power in Ulster County and Newburgh after downed trees and power lines impacted a substation that serves both areas.
"This is one of the worst storms I've seen. Especially in the northern part of the county," said Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan. "It was a pretty devastating storm mostly because of the weight of the ice and it's going to take us a few days to fully dig out from this."
Workers at Johnny's Pizzeria were using natural gas and a generator to stay open. They said even though the phone lines were down, customers used Facebook and DoorDash to place orders.
The storm is also to blame for several downed utility poles on Boniface Drive in Pine Bush.
Ulster and Orange Counties have set up warming centers for residents impacted by the outages.
Orange County Warming Stations:
Helping Others Needing Our Resources (HONOR)
38 Seward Ave, Middletown
311 (or) 845-343-7115
Middletown Warming Station
8-10 Mulberry Street
311 (or) 845-281-9519
Port Jervis Warming Station
31 West Main Street
311 (or) 845-649-8720 (day) or 845-856-1033 (evening)
Newburgh Warming Station at Newburgh Ministry
13 Bridge Street
845-561-0070
Residents can also call the Orange County Crisis Call Center at 311 or 1-800-832-1200
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