PSEG Long Island sends crews to help Hudson Valley recover from snow

PSEG Long Island on Thursday said 28 of its work crews gave up part of their Thanksgiving holiday to help restore power for thousands of people north of New York City whose homes were hit by the slushy storm that largely spared Long Island.

"The crews that we dispatched will work 16-hour shifts, repairing damaged electric lines, replacing broken poles, all to help safely restore power to the thousands of Central Hudson Gas & Electric customers still in the dark," John O'Connell, vice president of transmission and distribution for the Long Island utility, said in a prepared statement.

Central Hudson serves the region that stretches from the northern suburbs of New York City to Albany, according to its website. The utility said that by late Thursday afternoon it had restored service to more than half of the customers who lost power. More than 400 linemen and support crews -- including eight workers coming from Ontario, Canada, were assisting.

Temperatures on Long Island rose to the 40s Thursday, and the area should see some sun Friday, according to the National Weather Service. But around Albany, the thermometer was expected to fall to a low of 22 degrees overnight and recover slightly Friday with a slight chance of snow, it said.