Company Reminds Customers to Stay Safe, and Report Outages
Con Edison crews have restored 12,200 customers and are working to restore the remaining 17,230 customers in the Bronx and Westchester who lost power during the storm that hit the New York region.
Strong winds continued Wednesday night pushing trees into overhead power lines. The damage caused over 10,020 customers in Westchester County to lose power, primarily in Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and New Rochelle. In the Bronx, 7,210 customers are currently without power. Bronx neighborhoods impacted include Morris Park, Allerton, Williamsbridge, and Kingsbridge.
Con Edison crews, supplemented by 250 contractors and mutual aid workers, will work around the clock to get customers back in service.
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.
Restoring service
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.
Reporting 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, or 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 on the Con Edison outage map.
Safety Tips
- Do not go near downed electrical 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 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.
- 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 cell phones and other mobile devices while you have power.
- 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.
- 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.
