Con Edison Restoring Customers Following Damaging Winds and Drenching Rainstorms

Con Edison has restored service to nearly 17,000 customers and is working to restore the remaining approximately 2,100 customers who lost power during the rain and windstorm that hit the New York region overnight.

The company issued an estimated time of restoration of midnight tonight for 95% of Westchester County. Con Edison continues to restore customers in other regions. For more information, check the outage map.

At its peak, the storm knocked out power to 14,000 customers in Westchester County. There are currently 2,000 customers currently without power in Westchester County, primarily in Croton, New Castle and Ossining.

The extensive rainfall and strong wind gusts that slammed the tri-state area Friday evening pushed tree limbs onto overhead electric delivery system equipment, causing outages. Con Edison crews, supplemented by over 600 mutual aid workers, will continue to work around the clock removing fallen trees and making repairs 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 is 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 are prioritizing repairs that provide power to the largest numbers of customers as quickly as possible, then moving 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 at 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 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 cellphones 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

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.