[SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE AT BOTTOM] More than half of the power outages still plague six NYC residents and businesses six days after Tropical Storm Isaias are in Queens, Con Edison said Sunday morning.
A total of 20,000 NYC Con Edison customers have no power yet, though most are expected to have services shut down by 11 a.m. Sunday.
There are 11,000 affected customers in Queens, 6,900 in the Bronx, 1,100 in Staten Island, and 1,000 in Brooklyn.
Westchester still has 35,100 customers without power. A majority will have to wait until 11 a.m. Monday to see services restored.
“We realize it’s very frustrating to be without electricity,” Mathew Ketschke, former vice president of Con Edison of Customer Energy Solutions, said in a statement Sunday morning. “That’s why we have crews working the clock to restore power.”
Another 600 contract workers will be deployed to help restore power to the remaining 55,100 Con Edison residential and commercial customers. They will involve 1,700 Con Ed employees and 1,500 mutual aid workers, the utility said.
NYC Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell said on Saturday, “Queens has specifically been the hardest hit.”
Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee said on Twitter the claim that 95 per cent of customers would regain power by Sunday night was “skewed.”
In Brooklyn and Staten Island, 80 percent of households saw power restored by Thursday, while Queens did not pass that mark until Saturday night, based on the bureau president’s analysis of Con Edison’s figures.
Con Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Skeard. BK and SI were already more than 80% restored by Thu, two nights ago, ~ 48 hours after Isaiah.@ConEd just got Queens past the same 80% restoration mark last night, 100 hours after-#Isaias. https://t.co/5jnijHYtNi
– Queens Borough President Sharon Lee (@ QueensBP2020) August 9, 2020
Councilman Robert Holden spoke to residents in Queens where downhill wires were still alive, days after the storm passed.
A few things are clear after visiting some of the hardest hit areas of my district.
Much of the deviation could have been avoided if the city had taken care of its street trees.@ConEdison was unprepared flat and left our neighbors suffering in dangerous conditions. pic.twitter.com/CESlZjesMd
– Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) August 9, 2020
In Tuesday’s storm, 300,000 Con Ed customers lost electrical service due to strong winds that knocked down trees and power lines.
If perishable food, medication or other items have been damaged by at least 48 hours of power outages, you can submit a claim form here to claim a refund here.
On Sunday, the utility will redistribute dry ice in New York City and Westchester to residents who do not yet have electricity, at the following locations:
- The Home Depot, 11220 Rockaway Boulevard Park in Ozone Park, Queens – 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., or until supplies stop
- The Staten Island Mall, 2655 Richmond Avenue in Staten Island – 12:30 to 9 p.m., or until supplies stop
- The Home Depot, 1806 East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx – 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., or until supplies stop
- The North Castle Community Park, 205 Business Park Drive in Armonk – 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., or until supplies stop
- Cross County Mall, 8000 Mall Walk, in Yonkers – 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., or until supplies stop
Update 4:45 pm: The number of New Yorkers still without power dropped from Sunday to about 10,000, Con Ed President Tim Cawley said during a press conference today. Con Ed expects that nearly every 10,000 people on Sunday will have electricity returned by 11 a.m., although some recent isolated strikes will still repair it.
Cawley said nearly 24,000 Westchester customers are still in the dark, but Con Ed expects to regain power at almost all by 11 a.m. Monday.
Any Con Ed customer who has lost food as a result of the outing can claim reimbursement through the Con Ed website.
“We are working to get you back, we understand the pregnancy, and we will not stop until your power is restored,” Cawley added.
