National Grid Restores 100% Power to Central New York Following Tornado Outbreak

Residents who were left in the dark following Tuesday's severe weather outbreak tornado finally have their power back.

National Grid confirmed today, July 20, that they have completed the power restoration process thanks to the crews that came from across the country and even Canada.

The company explained why it took nearly a week to complete their work:

 National Grid has restored service to the 213,567 Upstate New York customers affected by the historic series of storms that tore through the region causing homes and buildings to collapse, roofs to blow off, and church steeples to topple. The storms — which included six tornadoes, winds in excess of 130 mph, multiple microbursts, and significant rain and hail in some areas — uprooted trees, toppled buildings, snapped more than 460 utility poles and caused significant damage to transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Matt Barnett, National Grid’s vice president of New York electric operations, said the company appreciated everyone's patience during this challenging time. "We worked around the clock in unprecedented conditions to remove the storms’ significant damage, make the areas safe, and complete the labor," he noted.

National Grid also encourages residents who were without power for over 72 hours to contact the company via this claim form and seek reimbursement, if eligible.  This applies to spoiled food and damaged medications or prescriptions.

"Requests for such reimbursements must be filed within 14 days of the 72-hour outage mark, regardless of current outage status," the company explained.

National Grid acknowledged there may still be downed power lines in the area and reminds residents to avoid them. Should you come across any broken wires, report them to the authorities and the utility company immediately.

The company also urges caution around damaged trees as they may have broken limbs that have not yet fallen to the ground.

Safety reminders were also issued for gas leaks. Should a resident suspect one in their home, or detect an odor similar to rotten eggs, exit the premises immediately. Should there really be a leak, it's important to not touch light switches, phones, or anything that could potentially cause a spark.

This includes unplugging electronics.

Tuesday's Tornado Confirmed to Be EF-2

The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado with 135 mph-winds touched down for 10 minutes in the city of Rome. Its path of destruction was nearly 5 and a quarter miles, and 300 feet wide.

See the damage it caused below.

There have been at least 8 confirmed tornadoes in New York from Tuesday's storm. The NWS said they touched down in Pavillion, Canandaigua, Rome, Virgil, Wells, Piesco, Warrensburg, and Canastota.

Get our free mobile app