WAYNE, N.Y. -- Hundreds of Steuben County residents are without heat Monday night after a natural gas system malfunctioned, officials said.
An estimated 250 to 350 households in the town of Wayne lost heat during the latest storm, during a wind chill advisory. It is expected to take 18 to 24 hours before their heat turns back on, according to a Steuben County Facebook post.
The Hammondsport volunteer fire station has set up a “warming center” for residents affected by the natural gas outage, Steuben County Emergency Services Director Tim Marshall said in a prepared statement. The Hammondsport Library also is open until 8 p.m. Monday for anyone trying to stay warm.
American Red Cross volunteers are staffing the warming center and helping residents. The fire station is on state Route 54 in Hammondsport.
New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) officials, meanwhile, continue to keep Steuben County officials updated on the natural gas outage, which struck as gusting winds, drifting snow and dangerously cold wind chills swept through Upstate New York.
A wind chill advisory was in effect until 7 p.m. Monday.
“Temperatures in Wayne are in the single digits now and will drop significantly tonight,” Marshall told residents.
Steuben County Emergency Services is asking residents who need transportation to the warming center in Hammondsport to call the Wayne Fire Department at (607) 292-3380.