Con Edison Readies for First Snow and a Dose of Slush

It won’t be a Christmas card by the time it’s over, but tomorrow’s upcoming snow and rain certainly will qualify as a first dose of winter served up before Thanksgiving.

The weather has the potential to affect both overhead and underground electrical delivery service. The snow and winds could knock down power lines. Then a mixture of road salt and melting snow will infiltrate manholes, possibly causing outages.

Con Edison will be ready with crews to respond and restore outages. The company is reminding customers to stay away from all downed overhead lines; report outages, and sign up for text notifications to receive restoration times and updates.

Con Edison customers can sign up for text notifications at conEd.com/text. Customers can also 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 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.

After several devastating storms in March, Con Edison began a 4-year, $100 million investment in storm fortification enhancements that include installation of stronger poles and power cables as well as smart switches to reduce the number of customers affected by fallen trees.

During service restoration, crews will give priority to restoring electric lines that will provide power to the most customers quickly, then restore smaller groups and individual customers who are without power. Click here to view the animation video: https://bit.ly/2SjDulW

Con Edison offers the following storm tips:

• If you see any downed wires, do not go near them. 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. Always stay away from downed power lines because they could be live.
• 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, or to view the company’s online outage map, 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.