O&R TO MOBILIZE WORKFORCE AS SEVERE STORM APPROACHES

O&R Press Release

PEARL RIVER, NY Feb. 12, 2014 2 p.m. — O&R has declared a company-wide Storm Watch in anticipation of a significant snow storm due on Thursday.

The latest revised forecast calls for a storm packing 8-14 inches of snowfall to hit the O&R service area about 5 a.m. Thursday.

Snow is expected to change to sleet and rain about noon Thursday and then change back to snow by dark. The snow is due to continue through Thursday night until as late as 3 a.m. Friday. Winds are expected to be 15-25 miles per hour with peak gusts of 35 mph. The temperature is expected to hover between 28 and 30 degrees.

Because this storm activity increases the potential for power line damage and electric service interruptions, O&R is preparing to mobilize its workforce to carry out the company’s Emergency Response Plan at 6 a.m. Thursday. O&R plans extra staff in Overhead Line and Customer Service operations tonight.

Today, O&R managers are running through the pre-mobilization check lists, staffing plans are being set for deployment, supplies and equipment are being prepared for dispersal and trucks are being readied for the road.

O&R company crews will be getting their pre-mobilization instructions and O&R’s contractor line, tree and damage assessment crews will be briefed.

Customers can report downed power lines, outages and check service restoration status at www.oru.com/storms or by calling 1-877-434-4100.

Customers also can take advantage of O&R’s mobile tools. In addition to O&R’s mobile web site, the free O&R mobile app lets customers report and check the status of an outage, and view the Company’s interactive online outage map. Download it at www.oru.com/app.

To help its customers prepare to weather a storm, O&R offers these tips:

1. For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.

1. Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with including puddles of water and fences. Supervise your children so that they are not in the vicinity and keep pets on a leash.

1. If a fallen wire is draped over a car, do not approach the car and make rescue attempts. Remain a safe distance away, and try to keep the occupant of the vehicle calm. If possible, emergency personnel should handle the situation.

1. Stock up on non-perishable food, bottled water, manual can opener, baby supplies and pet food. Set your refrigerator and freezer controls to their coldest settings. Fill the bathtub with water.

1. Have emergency equipment within reach — portable radio, flashlights, candles and matches, spare batteries, first aid kit, cell phone and important medications. Update your personal list of emergency phone numbers. Keep O&R’s toll-free number 1-877-434-4100 near the phone to report power outages.

1. If you experience a power outage, don’t assume that O&R automatically knows about it or that someone else will report it. To be sure the outage is reported, please call O&R toll-free at 1-877-434-4100 to let O&R know what happened. The more information you can provide, the more O&R can help you.

1. Remember: if the base station of your cordless phone plugs into the wall, your phone will be unusable during a power outage.

1. If a family member relies on electrically operated medical devices, secure a portable generator or make alternate arrangements for care. O&R does not provide customers with generators.

1. Keep at least a half-tank of gas in your car. Consider having extra cash on-hand, in case ATM machines don’t work.

1. Listen for storm alerts on the radio. In case of power outages, O&R will keep the stations updated on repair progress.

1. Learn how to manually open and close any electrically powered garage door, security door or gate.

For more information, visit O&R’s Storm Center at www.oru.com.