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Crews Working Safely and Efficiently to Restore Power to 55,000 Customers

  • Media Relations

  • New York – August 09, 2020 -- 05:30 AM

Additional crews are arriving today to bolster the 24/7 restoration of some 55,100 customers remaining without electric service as a result of Storm Isaias.

Another 600 contractors will join 1,700 Con Edison employees and 1,500 mutual aid workers already in place for a 3,800-member team to restore service.

The workers will focus on customers without service including: 35,100 in Westchester, 11,000 in Queens; 6,900 in the Bronx, 1,100 in Staten Island and 1,000 in Brooklyn.

Con Edison expects the vast majority of customers affected by the storm in each of the New York City boroughs to have service back by 11 p.m. Sunday and the vast majority in Westchester to be restored by 11 p.m. Monday. The company will continue to work around the clock to restore the remaining customers.

Restoration Work Site

Con Edison crews make repairs in Ossining

“We realize it’s very frustrating to be without electricity,” said Matthew Ketschke, Con Edison’s senior vice president of Customer Energy Solutions, “and that’s why we have crews working around the clock to restore power. We’re committed to doing this job quickly and safely, and we won’t rest until every customer is back in service.”

Con Edison has expanded its spoilage claims policy so that customers without power for 48 hours can fill out a claims form to request reimbursement for the cost of spoiled food, medication, or perishable commercial merchandise.

Communities with significant numbers of customers remaining out include:

  • In Westchester County: Yonkers, Rye, New Rochelle, North Castle, New Castle and Mamaroneck.
  • In Queens: Flushing, Elmhurst, Ozone Park and Ridgewood.
  • In the Bronx, Baychester, Riverdale, Throggs Neck and Wakefield.
  • In Staten Island: St. George.
  • In Brooklyn: Sheepshead Bay.

Con Edison is leveraging technology with a new damage assessment app allowing field workers to make detailed reports on conditions and request needed materials. To learn more about how this app works click here. Smart meter data also has been utilized to communicate more effectively and streamline operations.

Damage Assessment App

Con Edison’s damage assessment app

Nearly 200,000 customers reported their outages, including 85 percent who utilized text, the web, or a voice response system. Con Edison has sent more than 1.5 million texts and phone messages to customers to update them on outage restoration efforts. Ninety percent of customers who reported that they lost power have been contacted with individual restoration times.

Con Edison is making daily outbound calls to our most vulnerable customers. More than 800,000 outbound calls to these customers were made during the event.

The company continues to receive reports of downed wires and is sending crews to these locations. Con Edison cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires. Do not assume they are de-energized. They may be live.

The storm caused more than 300,000 customers to lose service. Powerful winds toppled trees and snapped branches, damaging wires, transformers and utility poles. Much of the infrastructure required extensive repairs or rebuilding.

Customers are urged to report an outage 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).

Customers can sign up for text alerts at conEd.com/text. The messages remind customers to be prepared and to report an outage by simply replying OUT to the 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 safety tips in the aftermath of this storm:  

  • Do not go near downed wires. Treat downed wires as if they are live. Never touch them with your hands or any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by 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.
  • Make sure 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 tips, go to www.conEd.com 

The company is in close contact with New York City Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate storm response as needed.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.