Con Edison Working Around the Clock: 90,500 Customers Restored So Far

Con Edison’s crews continued to restore service overnight in storm-damaged areas where customers lost power during and after the life of tree-thrashing winter storm Riley.

No question about the wallop: Outage-wise, the storm ranks as the fifth-largest in Con Edison’s history.

Approximately 90,500 of the 132,000 customers who lost power have been restored, with outage numbers expected to diminish significantly today as utility workers string up key connections amid the cleanup.

The company expects to complete restoration to the vast majority in Westchester by late Tuesday night. Up till now, over 57,000 of the 97,000 who lost power in the county have been restored.

Con Edison has almost 1,000 people involved in restoration, line repair, site safety and planning. The company also expects the pace of restorations to accelerate with the arrival of more than 400 mutual aid workers from as far away as Canada, Texas and Wisconsin.

Yet even as workers navigate more easily as debris piles get pushed aside, danger still lurks:

Con Edison reminds members of the public to stay away from downed wires because they may be live.

Just because it’s been a few days since the storm hit, never make the assumption that a wire lying on the ground is dead. Stay away. Your safety remains the highest priority.

The company is in touch with elected and school officials in Westchester for input on areas that should be given priority. Crews first focus on repairs that provide power to the most customers and to critical facilities, such as hospitals, municipal pumping stations and schools. Then they move on and make repairs to restore smaller groups and individual customers.

Customers can report downed power lines, outages and check service restoration status at www.conEd.com or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.
Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Con Edison offers a number of mobile solutions so you can manage your accounts, report and check the status of an outage, learn energy-saving tips, and more. Text REG to OUTAGE (688243) to sign up for text notifications, and follow the prompts. You will need to enter your Con Edison account number to complete the registration process. Once you've registered, you will not need your account number to report or check the status of a power problem. Or visit us here to stay on top of outages and power problems by signing up for text notifications.

Con Edison offers the following storm tips:

• Do not go near downed wires because they could be live. Never attempt to move them or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by snow, tree limbs, leaves or water.
• Report downed wires to Con Edison and your local police department immediately. If a power line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.
• If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored.  If several appliances start up at once, the electric circuits may overload.
• Make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are working. Have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on electrical service can be heard on local radio and television stations.
• For more storm tips and preparation, go to Con Edison storm safety.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.