Con Edison Crews and Outside Workers Mobilizing as Winter Storm Approaches Region

Con Edison is mobilizing its own crews and additional contractor workers to respond to any service problems caused by the winter storm expected to hit our region Sunday night and into Monday morning.

Strong gusty winds could bring down power lines, causing customers to lose service and creating a safety hazard.

The company urges members of the public to stay away from downed wires. They may be live. For your safety, we may guard downed wires until crews make repairs. Our personnel may be in unmarked cars but will always have Con Edison identification.

The company has secured more than 1,000 outside workers to supplement its crews in the work of repairing and replacing poles, wires and transformers.

In addition to strong winds, coastal areas could experience flooding. Restoration of service due to flooding in the underground electric-delivery system involves several steps. Those steps include pumping water out of a facility, drying and testing the equipment, addressing any environmental concerns, and making sure the equipment can operate safely and reliably.

Con Edison is sending text messages to customers in the regions expected to be hit the hardest. The messages remind customers to be prepared and to report an outage by simply replying OUT to the text.

Con Edison is also sending emails to customers warning them of the coming storm, urging them to be safe and reminding them how to report outages.

Restoration Plan

The priority for restoration will be critical customer facilities that have an impact on the public, such as mass transit, hospitals, police and fire stations, and sewage and water-pumping stations.

Crews will then prioritize repairs that will provide power to the largest numbers of customers as quickly as possible, then move on to restore smaller groups and individual customers.

How to Report an Outage

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, 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. Watch an outage map tutorial video here.

Safety Tips

• Do not go near downed wires. Treat downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move them or touch them with 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.
• Members of the public should also avoid transformers that are brought to the ground. The transformers are gray metal drums attached to the wires and poles.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installing and using a portable generator. Never plug a generator into a wall unit, use it indoors, or set it up outdoors near open home windows or air-handling vents.
• 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.
• Charge your cellphones and other mobile devices while you have power.
• Make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios are working. Have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on electrical service can be heard on local radio and television stations.
• For more storm tips and preparation, go to www.conEd.com.

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

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