Con Edison Continues Focus on Westchester in Post-Isaias Customer Restoration

Con Edison crews remain in the streets of Westchester providing power to customers affected by Storm Isaias, as the company remains on target to meet its goal of restoring service to the vast majority of county customers tonight.

More than 3,800 restoration workers, about 1,800 of whom are Con Edison employees, continue to remove trees and downed wires, repair - and in many instances rebuild - equipment destroyed in the storm. Crews have been working around-the-clock to restore power to customers. An additional 150 workers will join the effort during the day.

Crews also continue to restore scattered outages in New York City, but has gotten the vast majority of city customers affected by the storm back in service.

Con Edison expects the vast majority of customers in Westchester to be restored by 11 p.m.

The company reports about 19,000 customers currently without service due to the storm. They include about: 15,000 in Westchester, 2,800 in Queens; 650 in the Bronx and 400 in Brooklyn.

Areas with significant numbers of customers remaining out include:

• In Westchester County: Yonkers, New Rochelle, North Castle, New Castle, Mamaroneck and Greenburgh;
• In Queens: Ozone Park; South Ozone Park and Woodhaven.

Con Edison has expanded its 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.

Con Edison is making daily outbound calls to its most vulnerable customers – those who rely on emergency equipment for health reasons – to let them know they should take precautions.

While working on the post-Isaias restoration, Con Edison is also preparing for temperatures forecasted to reach the 90s starting today. Heat and humidity increase demand on the electric-delivery system as customers use their air conditioners to stay comfortable.

Con Edison asks customers to use energy wisely and save money. One tip is to set the AC at the highest comfortable temperature. Customers should also clean AC filters to help the unit run at highest efficiency. See more energy-saving tips.

Customers can get information on NYC cooling centers. In Westchester County, a cooling center at the Crawford Mansion Community Center in Rye is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and one at the Senior Community Center in Elmsford is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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.

Con Edison is also aware that some customers who have power may be experiencing phone or Internet problems. The company advises those customers to call their providers.

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 temporarily 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.