By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-992529.mp3
Hudson, NY – With mounting criticism from customers and public officials, utilities serving the Hudson Valley are pressing on toward a full restoration of power after last weekend's noreaster. WAMC's Dave Lucas has the latest
From the Hudson Valley up through the Northeast, people are still without electricity almost a week after the October noreaster that dumped as much as 20 inches of snow in some areas.
Central Hudson spokesman Jim Maserjian says the utility had almost all the lights back on, when high winds triggered a burst of new outages. Crews are scrambling to restore service as quickly as possible.
NYSEG officials are also pushing complete restoration - spokesman Jim Salmon says about 2-thousand customers in parts of Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties are still without power.
New Hampshire's two US Senators have criticized the reliability of electric providers in their state; Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley says her office is reviewing the response of utilities to the weekend storm to determine the reasons behind the length of power outages and the lack of communication and available information from utilities... many customers remain in the dark in Massachusetts this evening.
Back in New York, Congresswoman Nan Hayworth went more than three and a half days without power at her Hudson Valley home. Governor Andrew Cuomo has joined the call for the Public Service Commission to look into the response by utility companies to the widespread power outages. Other state and local officials are calling for the PSC to hold a public forum with Orange and Rockland Utilities to discuss the company's response to the snowstorm. Orange & Rockland's service area is still peppered with scattered multiple outages.
The Public Service Commission has set up a toll-free telephone line for comments: 800-335-2120