Utility Workers from Across America Join Con Edison to Restore Power Following Isaias

Con Edison crews have reduced to 3,650 the number of customers without power due to the second most devastating storm in company history which hit the New York area last Tuesday.

The company warns that there may still be wires on the ground due to the trees and branches that were felled by the powerful gusting winds. Con Edison cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires. Do not assume they are de-energized. They may be live.

About 2,850 of the customers out of service due to the storm are in Westchester County and 800 in New York City. Most of the NYC customers are in Queens. Smaller numbers are in Brooklyn and the Bronx. In addition, the company is working to restore about 4,000 outages that are not related to the storm.

Customers can view updated numbers on a banner just above the Con Edison outage map.

“This is a time to recognize the perseverance of our customers,” said Patrick McHugh, Con Edison’s vice president, Engineering and Planning. “We fully empathize with our customers who have had to endure without power due to this severe weather event and at a time when our region is trying to emerge from the health crisis.”

Con Edison sought and got help from crews as far south as Mississippi and as far west as New Mexico. The company also enlisted help from workers from Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kentucky, the Carolinas, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Georgia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Westchester communities that are among areas with the most outages remaining from Isaias include Yonkers, Cortlandt and New Castle.

The remaining outages involve extensive damage and complicated restorations for individual customers.

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

Con Edison is responding to any heat-related outages that occur this week. Heat and humidity increase demand on the electric-delivery system and can cause equipment to overheat, affecting service.

Con Edison offers energy savings tips, including:

• Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the units will run at peak efficiency;
• Set thermostats to the highest comfortable temperature. Each degree lower increases cooling costs;
• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block the vents in unused or vacant rooms;
• To reduce heat and moisture in your home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, if possible;
• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home;
• Turn off air conditioners, lights and other appliances when not at home.

Customers can get information on NYC cooling centers.

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.

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