Con Edison Reminds Public to Stay Safe If Weekend Winds Bring Down Wires

Con Edison reminds people in New York City and Westchester County to place safety first if this weekend’s storms knock trees and branches into electrical equipment.

Do not go near or touch downed power lines. They might be live. If you see downed wires, call your local police department or 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

Con Edison will be ready to respond to any outages or other service problems caused by the strong wind gusts that might accompany the thunderstorms forecasted to hit the area.

(Watch this video to learn more about how we restore power.)

Customers can report outages and check service restoration status by signing up for texting.  To sign up for text alerts, go to conEd.com/text or Text REG to OUTAGE (688243) 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.

Customers can also report an outage at 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 will call customers who report outages with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

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 your hands or 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.