Rochester Gas and Electric said it restored service to customers within two days after a severe windstorm knocked out power to more than 93,000 customers earlier this month.
The storm moved through the region ahead of the Juneteenth holiday and Father's Day weekend, bringing wind gusts of up to 55 mph and causing widespread outages, broken poles, downed wires and tree damage, according to the utility.
The company said 93,917 customers lost power during the storm, with Monroe County seeing the greatest impact. Damage included 43 broken poles, 415 downed wires and extensive tree damage.
RG&E said one-third of affected customers had power restored by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18. Crews restored service to 75% of affected customers by 3 a.m. Friday, June 19, and the remaining customers by 10 p.m. Saturday, June 20.
Margaret Little, senior manager of regional operations with RG&E's Electric Line Operations, said clearing tree damage so crews could access the system and assess repairs was a significant challenge.
"It can take time for crews to safely bring equipment into backyards," Little said in the release. "Our priority is to make affected areas safe, remove hazards, and restore power as quickly as possible."
RG&E said it had 225 line crews and 30 tree crew personnel working on repairs and restoration. The company also received assistance from contractors and mutual aid from New York State Electric & Gas.
The utility said drones were used in some areas where crews could not reach damage because of rough terrain. The drones helped inspect off-road transmission lines and identify damage so repairs could be made.
Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans credited repair crews for restoring power to thousands of city residents and businesses and said RG&E management kept city officials updated during the response.
RG&E said it remains focused on public safety, damage assessment, restoration planning and restoring service as quickly as possible during outages.
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