Con Edison Crews Ready to Restore Power as Wintry Weather Approaches
Safety Warning: Stay Away from Downed Wires
Con Edison is prepared to respond to any service problems that arise as a storm passes through the region this weekend. The storm is expected to bring high wind gusts and rain.
The company is increasing staffing in overhead-line areas where high winds are expected.
Strong winds can knock trees and branches onto power lines, causing customers to lose service. Sustained rain softens the ground and can make it more likely that trees will topple.
In the event of outages, Con Edison will be ready to respond, supported by line crews, damage assessors, and site safety personnel, along with customer service operations and the Con Edison teams that support those functions.
As soon as it’s safe to assess damage and begin restoration, crews will give priority to making repairs that will provide power to the most customers quickly, then restore smaller groups and individual customers.
The energy company cautions everyone to stay away from downed wires.
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 at the Con Edison outage map.
Con Edison personnel continue to practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the health emergency.
Con Edison offers the following storm tips:
- Do not go near downed wires. Treat all downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move them or touch them with your hands or 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.
- If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored. If several appliances start at once, the electric circuits may overload.
- Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are working. Make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on restoration of electrical service can be heard on most local radio and television stations.
- For more storm tips and preparation, go to www.conEd.com
Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.
In addition, the company is in contact with the New York City Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate storm response if needed.