Isaias Restorations Surpass 240,000 as Additional Workers Continue to Arrive

Con Edison crews have restored electric service to about 244,000 customers who were affected by the severe storm that struck the region on Tuesday.

Another 500 mutual aid and contractor workers will join the restoration effort by Saturday. They are in addition to the approximately 800 outside workers already in the streets of New York City and Westchester County restoring power. Con Edison also has more than 1,650 of its own field workers on the job.

In many areas, crews are re-building entire sections of the overhead electric delivery system that were destroyed by winds that gusted up to 70 miles per hour. Isaias’s winds, which were accompanied by pelting rains, knocked branches and entire trees onto equipment, causing more than 300,000 customers to lose service.

Con Edison continues to work with municipalities to clear roads blocked by fallen trees, many of which have wires entangled.

Con Edison cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires. Do not assume they are de-energized. They may be live.

Con Edison plans to finish restoring power to the vast majority of those affected by Sunday night. Some restorations will take place early next week.

The company’s outage map reports about 55,000 customers out of service in Westchester County, where the electric delivery system is nearly all overhead. The company reports about 24,000 customers out in Queens, 13,000 in the Bronx, 7,500 in Staten Island, and 1,500 in Brooklyn.

Customers are urged to report their outage to and check 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).

Con Edison sent text messages to 1.3 million 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 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 practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Con Edison offers the following storm tips:

• 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.