Storm Isaias Taking Aim at Greater New York, Affecting Power Service

Storm Isaias is barreling into the New York area and has already caused 172,500 Con Edison customers to lose service.

The high winds are knocking trees and branches into power lines, causing customers to lose power. The trees are vulnerable to toppling due to the rain that has hit the area the last 24 hours.

The energy company cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires.

Westchester County has 64,500 customers out; the Bronx, 22,000; Staten Island, 28,700; Brooklyn and Queens has 19,000 and 38,500 customers out respectively.

In Westchester, the hardest-hit communities include: Briarcliff Manor, Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester, Harrison, Mount Vernon Greenburgh, Yonkers, Yorktown and others.

The company, which has brought in 220 additional workers to restore service, has restored about 3,000 customers so far. Including tree trimmers and other workers, the company has brought in more than 500 additional personnel. Many of those restorations were done via remote switching.

Con Edison will assess the damage once the storm passes. When it is safe for crew members to go up in bucket trucks and perform other restoration tasks, they will do so. Con Edison will work with local public works crews to clear dozens of roads blocked by fallen trees and branches. Crews must de-energize wires that are entangled in the trees before they can cut the wires and have the trees removed.

Crews will give priority to making repairs that will provide power to the most customers quickly, then restore smaller groups and individual customers.

Con Edison crews are supplemented by 220 additional outside workers to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible. In addition, the company can hold workers from one shift to another to make repairs.

The company’s preparation and planning included scheduling extra crews and equipment and designating staging centers for quick responses to problems on the overhead electric system.

Con Edison sent text messages to customers in all its service areas except Manhattan, where the electric system is totally underground. The messages remind customers to be prepared and to report an outage by simply replying OUT to the text. Customers can sign up for text alerts at conEd.com/text.

Customers can also report outages and check service restoration status at conEd.com/reportoutage, or with Con Edison’s mobile app for iOS or Android devices, or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

Customers who report outages will receive updates from Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available. Information on outages and restoration times is also available at the Con Edison outage map.

Con Edison personnel continue to practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the health emergency.

Con Edison offers the following storm tips to customers to help weather the possible effects of a storm:

• Do not go near downed wires. Treat all downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move them or touch them with your hands of any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by snow, tree limbs, leaves or water.
• Report all 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.
• Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are in working order. Make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on restorations of electrical service can be heard on most local radio and television stations.
• For more storm tips and preparation, go to www.conEd.com

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information. In addition, the company is in close contact with the New York City Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate storm response if needed.