Storms spawned tornadoes, killed 2
3 tornadoes confirmed; 2 people killed by falling trees; thousands lose power
The severe storms that killed two people in the Mid-Hudson Valley and caused tens of thousands of power outages spawned at least three tornadoes, including one that formed in Saugerties, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The weather service said a tornado with estimated top winds of 90 mph formed along Route 212 in the western portion of Saugerties and then traveled from Saugerties to Tivoli, across the Hudson River, between 2:29 and 2:35 p.m. Tuesday. The tornado was about 528 feet wide and traveled roughly 5 miles before dissipating just south of the Clermont State Historic Site, the weather service said, adding that no injuries resulted.
There also were two tornadoes in Putnam County, the weather service said — one in Patterson, with 100mph maximum winds; the other in Kent, with 110-mph winds. There were no tornadoes in Dutchess County, though the southern portion of the county sustained substantial damage from straight-line winds that the weather service said exceeded 100 mph in some spots.
Repair crews from Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. spent Wednesday working to restore electricity to tens of thousands of customers whose power was knocked out by the storms.
At 7:45 p.m., about 13,000 Central Hudson customers in Dutchess County, mostly in the southern towns, remained without power, while about 2,300 in Ulster County still were in the dark, according to the utility’s website. About 31,000 Central Hudson customers were without power in hard-hit Orange County, which also is served by Orange & Rockland Utilities.
The Tuesday afternoon storms packed high winds, heavy rain, hail and lightning; brought down trees and power lines; led some schools to hold students at dismissal time until the weather improved; and halted Metro-North train service.
Two deaths in Orange County were blamed on the storm. In the city of Newburgh an 11-year-old girl was killed about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday when a tree came down on the parked vehicle in which she was sitting on Robinson Avenue. The girl’s mother suffered minor injuries. Separately, a woman died about 5 p.m. Tuesday when a tree fell on her car on Albany Post Road in the town of Newburgh.
Authorities did not provide the names of the girl, her mother or the woman who died, but a GoFundMe page seeking to raise money for the 11-year-old’s funeral identified her Gina Garzon.
Central Hudson said the most serious damage to its infrastructure was in the southern part of its eight-county coverage area, where there was significant tree damage, blocked roads, broken utility poles and downed power lines.
The utility urged residents to stay away from downed lines.
“Central Hudson teams are working with municipal and county emergency response personnel to clear roads, restore traffic signals and guard downed lines,” a Wednesday morning press release from the company said. “
The company said about 185 line workers and 180 tree personnel were involved in the storm recovery effort.
The American Red Cross established a shelter at the Fishkill Town Hall, 807 Route 52, and was providing centralized case management for impacted families. The Red Cross said it also was distributing water, snacks and basic necessities to people in Fishkill and Wappingers Falls who were impacted by the storm.
Also, the Planet Fitness chain announced it was providing free access at all of its Hudson Valley locations to people affected by the storm, regardless of whether they are members of the gym, so that they can do such things as shower, sit in a massage chair or work out. Nonmembers will need to show identification and sign in.
In Saugerties, Railroad Avenue was to remain closed for two to three days due to storm damage, the Saugerties Police Department said Wednesday. All
other roads in Saugerties that were closed by the storm had reopened.
In Sullivan County, the towns of Bethel, Cochecton, Forestburgh, Highland, Lumberland and Tusten were placed under a state of emergency until 5 p.m. Thursday. In the towns of Mamakating and Thompson,
a state of emergency expired at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
George B. Flood, a spokesman for U.S. Postal Service, said power outages due to storm affected a total of 37 post offices in Ulster,
Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Putnam and Westchester counties, and that mail delivery was impacted in some hard-hit areas. He said the post offices that lost power were getting backup generators so they could operate.