Con Edison Preparing for Next Storm, Reinforcing its System

Work continues for Con Edison and mutual aid crews as the company prepares for the possibility of a third storm hitting the region starting tonight.

The coming storm could bring down more electrical wires. Con Edison warns members of the public not to go near downed wires because they may be live.

The company will retain about 600 mutual aid workers who helped restore customer outages caused by the March 2 and March 7 Nor’easters that slammed the area.

Crews have restored virtually all the customers who were affected by those storms, but continue fixing a smattering of single outages.

The great majority of the customers affected by the two storms were in Westchester County, where high, sustained winds and heavy, wet snow brought down trees and branches. Those trees and branches fell into overhead wires, bringing the wires, along with poles and transformers in many instances, down onto streets and sidewalks.

Crews continue with the massive cleanup of debris and equipment the storm brought down.

The crews are also making reinforcements to the system. Many of the repairs made in the last 10 days were intended to get customers back in service as quickly as possible but did not put back in place safeguards that minimize outages during storms. It will take weeks to get the overhead electrical delivery system back in the same condition as before the storms hit.

The company brought in mutual aid workers from 20 states and Canada to work around the clock on untangling wires, removing trees and rebuilding a large portion of the electrical delivery system.

Together, the two storms caused more outages in Westchester than Hurricane Irene did in August 2011. 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. Technical issues affecting the company’s website and outage map were corrected overnight.

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.
• 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.
• 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.