Utility crews work to restore power; some Adirondack towns face long cleanup efforts
By Mike Goodwin, H. Rose Schneider, Times Union and Explorer staff
Updated at 9:20 on July 18, 2024
National Grid customers in Warren and Hamilton counties began restoring power over the past day as thousands remained without power, according to company and public officials.
Hundreds of commercial and residential customers were still without power in Warrensburg, Chester, Bolton and Indian Lake, and the National Weather Service declared a tornado had touched down in Chester. Warren County officials said it may have been moved to Bolton. Water distribution stations are planned Thursday at Speculator and Warrensburg.
Power was out at Gore Mountain, but state officials believed it would be restored today and said there was no damage to the downhill ski facilities. Route 28 in Chester remains closed but is expected to reopen Thursday evening.
As thunderstorms hit the Northland on Tuesday, crews worked to restore power to thousands of people who lost utility service and meteorologists watched radar for signs of possible damage from another storm on Wednesday. The storm comes just days after Tropical Storm Beryl swept through the region.
Thousands of Adirondack Park residents and out-of-power businesses in Hamilton and Warren counties may have to wait days for power to be restored as power lines and damaged infrastructure are repaired, according to government officials. Some people have been warned they may have to wait a week for power.
Warren County declared a state of emergency to expedite purchases and repairs, an official said.
Johnsburg Supervisor Kevin M. Bean said Warren County was one of the areas hit hardest by Tuesday's storm.
“If anyone knows of a neighbor who has a serious health problem, please let me know immediately,” he said on Facebook's Nord Stream bulletin board. “If anyone needs oxygen and needs a generator, please let me know.” He said National Grid told him 2,800 workers were on site working to restore power.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for portions of Saratoga, Schenectady, Albany and Rensselaer counties Wednesday afternoon. Radar showed the storm was moving east, and the first race of the day at Saratoga Race Course was canceled due to the weather.
The chaotic weather sparked two suspected tornadoes that left one person dead in Madison County.
Utility crews are located throughout a large area of upstate New York, including the New York State Capital Region, the Southland, the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks and Central New York. Tens of thousands of northern homes and businesses were without power from the storm, and utility companies were dealing with outages caused by countless downed trees and tree limbs that downed power lines, phones and cables.
Massive outages continued across the eastern and central parts of the North Wednesday morning, with nearly half of Hamilton County utility customers without power.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Tuesday. State agencies monitored the storm and rallied to assist with storm cleanup efforts.
The storms provided a brief respite from days of heat and humidity in the Northeast, but the National Weather Service in Albany said hotter and muggier conditions could lead to another round of severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening. Another heat warning is in effect for the Albany area and much of the Hudson Valley.
The storm arrived Tuesday afternoon and evening, causing widespread damage to Rome and other communities along the Mohawk River. The weather service said a tornado struck the Cortland County town of Virgil and suspected a tornado was responsible for Rome. Syracuse.com reports that one person was found dead after the storm swept through the Madison County village of Canastota. One person was injured when a tree fell on her in the Herkimer County town of Salisbury, National Weather Service meteorologist Abby Gant said. The entrance to Hinckley Reservoir in Herkimer County is temporarily closed.
The Capital Region and Adirondacks were hit hard. Damage from the storm in Glens Falls prompted the state to declare a state of emergency, while in neighboring Queensbury, a video posted on social media showed wires on the ground and behind cars at a local Kia dealership. Sparks are coming. A telephone pole outside the store was still askew, with one of its wires hanging down.
The storm also hit Edinburgh and other communities around Great Sacandaga Lake. The usually quiet town is bustling with activity, especially with tree felling, but also with the rumble of utility trucks, fire trucks and Saratoga County vehicles cruising along the country roads and people riding in golf carts and utility vehicles Check for damage. Many roads remained closed Wednesday morning.
Winds knocked down trees around the area. Numerous power lines were down and there were widespread road closures, including on Warren Street in Glens Falls, where city police said power lines were down.
Severe storms are a common scene. Nearly 29 years ago today, the North Country was hit by an Ontario-Adirondack storm, a widespread storm that tossed tractor-trailer-sized trees like toothpicks with 100 mph winds, causing 5 People die.
Tim Bradenburg/Times Union
Warren County hit hard
“This is the closest I've seen it to this in over 30 years,” Warren County spokesman Don Lehman said Wednesday. He said there are two major counties in Johnsburg and Warrensburg. Route 28 has reopened and at least one lane has been cleared for traffic after a major obstruction at the Glen where it meets the Texas River. He said that despite the broader emergency declaration in Hochul, the county will still declare a state of emergency to meet any potential additional emergency needs.
Storm damage was widespread across the county. Lehman said the outage was expected to last several days. The biggest obstacle was downed live power lines tangled in fallen trees, blocking roads and damaging buildings.
“Until these lines are safe, [Department of Public Workres] Staff won't go in there,” Lehman said.
Lehman said a list of cooling centers is available on the state's website. He recommends calling ahead to make sure those locations have power.
On Wednesday, National Grid reported that 80,000 customers were still without power in the Capital Region, Central New York and the Adirondacks. As of 6:45 a.m., the utility reported 53,416 customers in the Capital Region were without service. On the local front, Montgomery and Warren counties were hit particularly hard, with nearly 6,000 people dead in dark Montgomery County and another 16,000 people without services in Warren County.
National Grid spokesman Patrick Stella said recovery times were still being determined Wednesday, but the worst-hit areas could see outages for multiple days. Downed trees and power poles and more severe weather Wednesday could complicate power restoration.
New York state electric and natural gas companies also faced thousands of outages. Most were concentrated in central and southern New York, but thousands of customers in Columbia and Rensselaer counties also lost service.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the temporary closure of Million Dollar Beach in Lake George after elevated levels of E. coli were found in beach water samples. The beach will remain closed to all patrons until test results show water quality has improved. State-run campgrounds on the Lake George Islands were also damaged and closed.
As the storm moved east, wind reports were issued in Mesonet, N.Y., with gusts as high as 87 mph in Glens Falls, the weather service said. Gunter said the speed was enough to lift the roof off the building. Winds were expected to range from 30 to 60 miles per hour throughout the area. As the storm approaches, the weather service warned residents to “move to safer inland areas.”
Road closures in Essex
As of Tuesday evening, the following roads in Essex County are closed:
- Ledge Mountain Road in Westport
- Jay's Heseltine Road
- Decker Road, Westport
- NY State Route 9 at Elizabethtown/Westport
- New York State Route 22 (Westport)
- Elizabethtown/Westport County Road 8
- Lincoln Pond Road, Moriah/Elizabethtown
Tim Blydenburgh and Wendy Liberatore contributed to Times Union reporting for this article. Adirondack Explorer's Melissa Hart and James M. Odato contributed to this report.
Top photo: Trees fell on several homes, including this one, on Crownwood Lane in Queensbury on Tuesday. Photos courtesy of Warren County
