During a dangerous heat wave that gripped the Lower Hudson Valley, with temperatures in the 90s and heat index values approaching 100 degrees, New York State Senator Bill Weber’s office made it a priority to help restore power to Rockland County residents, responding to two separate outages on Erev Shabbos despite the New York State Senate being officially closed for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

The first outage affected six families, including elderly residents, at a multi-family residential building located at 129 Route 306 in the Village of Kaser. After being contacted about the emergency, Senator Weber’s office immediately reached out to its contacts at Orange & Rockland Utilities to report the situation and request an expedited response due to the dangerous weather conditions. Village of Kaser Mayor Elya Pinkasovitz also contacted Orange & Rockland to emphasize the urgency of restoring service.

Orange & Rockland promptly dispatched a repair crew to the location, and electrical service was restored within a few hours, allowing residents to finish their Shabbos preparations and have access air conditioning once again during the oppressive heat.

Later that same day, Senator Weber’s office also worked with Orange & Rockland to address a second outage affecting the entire Overhill Road neighborhood, helping to ensure power was restored there as quickly as possible.

“During extreme heat, losing electricity can quickly become a serious health and safety issue, especially for families, seniors, and those with medical conditions,” said Senator Weber. “As soon as our office learned about these outages, we contacted Orange & Rockland to ensure both situations received immediate attention. I appreciate the utility’s prompt response and the hard work of its crews in restoring power.”

Although the New York State Senate offices were officially closed for the July 4th holiday weekend, Senator Weber’s staff remained available to respond to urgent constituent needs.

“Emergencies don’t take holidays,” Senator Weber added. “Even though our office was officially closed, we remain committed to serving our constituents whenever they need us. We’re grateful that both outages were resolved and that residents were able to return to safe, air-conditioned homes before the dangerous heat persisted any longer.”

Senator Weber’s office remains committed to assisting constituents, especially during emergencies, by working closely with utility providers, local officials, and other agencies to help resolve issues as quickly as possible.