Con Edison Crews Closer to Finishing Massive Restoration of Customers

The number of Con Edison customers without power due to the two recent storms dropped by more than 40 percent last night, as crews repaired lines and replaced poles throughout Westchester County.

About 6,600 Con Edison customers remain out of service after the destructive back-to-back Nor’easters. Of those, 6,400 are in Westchester County, where the storms caused extensive tree damage. Crews have restored about 194,000 outages in Westchester and New York City since the first storm hit eight days ago.

The company expects to have power back by Sunday night to the remaining 1,700 customers affected by last Friday’s storm. Those affected by Wednesday’s storm are expected to have power by Monday night, the company said.

Customers still out of power from the first storm are being given the highest priority for restoration. Restoration efforts will continue on a 24-hour basis until every customer is restored.

The company’s crews continue to work with municipalities to clear about 40 roads in Westchester County that remain blocked by fallen trees. After Wednesday’s storm, more than 220 roads in the county were blocked.

The two storms combined to cause 150,000 outages in Westchester County. That’s 45,000 more than Hurricane Irene caused in the county in August 2011.

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

Proper caution also should be exercised in the safe use of portable generators, which must be placed outside the premises a safe distance away to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

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.  

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, 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.