Dutchess County Emergency Operations Center Update Monday, October 29th at 2pm

Poughkeepsie… Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro activated the Dutchess County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) this morning at 7:30am to monitor and respond to Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy is a very large storm, estimated at 1,000 miles wide.    The Dutchess County area is under a Hazardous Weather Outlook, with high wind warning in effect now until 11am Tuesday morning.   Approximately 3 inches of rainfall are currently predicted.   A Flood Watch is currently in effect through late Tuesday night.   Tidal flooding is likely to occur along the Hudson River.   Hudson River water levels at Poughkeepsie are expected to rise above normal tide levels during periods of high tide.

Widespread power outages are expected as a result of high winds.

Agencies currently stationed at the Dutchess County EOC include:

• Dutchess County Emergency Response
• Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
• New York State Police
• New York State Office of Fire Prevention
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
• Dutchess County Public Works
• American Red CrossDutchess County Soil & WaterCentral Hudson
• New York State Gas & Electric (NYSEG)

County health and human service agencies are on stand by to respond as needed to address human services needs, such as isolated senior citizens, that may result from potential extended power outages.

County services update:

• Dutchess County Department of Motor Vehicles locations in Beacon and Millbrook are closing at 3pm today.
• LOOP bus service is currently running all scheduled routes, with the exception of the Rail Link service which is cancelled due to MetroNorth service suspension.

Shelter Operations:

American Red Cross has coordinated two shelter locations:

• Red Hook High School located at 103 Market Street in Red Hook is now open.
• Beacon High School located at 101 Matteawan Road in Beacon and will be opening at 3pm.

For more information about ARC shelters, residents can call the American Red Cross at 1-800- RED CROSS.

State of Emergency declarations:

The following municipalities have made State of Emergency declarations. Please note, none of these municipalities have issued orders as part of the SOE declaration restricting travel. However,

• Town of Amenia – effective 10am today
• Town of Dover - effective 12pm today
• Town of East Fishkill – effective 12pm today
• Town of Fishkill – effective 11am today
• Town of Milan – effective 12pm today
• Town of Pine Plains - effective 3pm today
• Town of Wappinger – effective 12pm today

Road closures:

Flooding has been reported on River Road and Water Street in New Hamburg, closing the roadway.   Please note:  road conditions are subject to change.  

Storm information including shelter information will be available by calling the United Way’s 211 number.  Reports of power outages should be directed to local utilities.   Please remember, 911 is for EMERGENCIES only!    Information will also be available on the County’s social media pages including Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dutchess-County-Government/73646813346  and Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/DutchessCoGov.