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50,000 Lost Power in Outages, Mostly in Brooklyn. Service Is Slowly Returning. 50,000 Lost Power in Outages, Mostly in Brooklyn. Service Is Slowly Returning.
(about 1 hour later)
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More than 21,000 customers were still without electricity in New York City and Westchester County on Monday morning, after 50,000 Con Edison customers lost power on Sunday night during an intense three-day heat wave, officials said. More than 13,000 customers were still without electricity in New York City and Westchester County on Monday afternoon, after 50,000 Con Edison customers lost power on Sunday night during an intense three-day heat wave, officials said.
The utility said it expected service to be fully restored by the afternoon, nearly a full day after the company shut off power to 30,000 customers in southeast Brooklyn, so it could make repairs related to the dangerously high temperatures. The utility said it expected service to be fully restored in the afternoon, one day after the company shut off power to 30,000 customers in southeast Brooklyn, so it could make repairs related to the dangerously high temperatures.
It was mostly customers in Brooklyn — about 14,000 in and around the neighborhoods of Canarsie, Mill Basin and Bergen Beach — who were still without power on Monday morning, officials said. It was mostly customers in Brooklyn who were still without power on Monday, officials said. Of the more than three million customers that Con Edison serves in the region, 900,000 of them are in the borough. As of noon, nearly 10,000 people — most of them in and around the neighborhoods of Canarsie, Mill Basin, Flatlands and Bergen Beach — were still facing outages.
The region had cooled by Monday, as residents across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut woke up in a kind of collective heat hangover. The thermometer fell to 80 degrees in New York City overnight, and the National Weather Service predicted temperatures would not rise much above the low 80s on Monday. The region had cooled by Monday, as residents across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut woke up in a kind of collective heat hangover. The thermometer fell to 80 degrees in New York City overnight, and the National Weather Service predicted temperatures would not rise much above the low 80s on Monday, though it warned of possible severe thunderstorms.
Still, even as the heat broke, Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out against Con Edison during a news conference on Monday, demanding answers and saying he no longer trusted the utility.Still, even as the heat broke, Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out against Con Edison during a news conference on Monday, demanding answers and saying he no longer trusted the utility.
“This was obviously a predictable situation, and therefore, preventable,” Mr. de Blasio said, standing outside a command post in Brooklyn that had been set up to aid people affected by the power shutdowns. “What we’re getting continually is no clarity, no answers, no real timelines from Con Ed.”“This was obviously a predictable situation, and therefore, preventable,” Mr. de Blasio said, standing outside a command post in Brooklyn that had been set up to aid people affected by the power shutdowns. “What we’re getting continually is no clarity, no answers, no real timelines from Con Ed.”
City officials worked with the Red Cross to set up an emergency shelter at J.H.S. 278 Marine Park in Brooklyn for people who needed medical attention or relief from the heat, Mr. de Blasio said. That shelter remained open Monday morning. City officials worked with the Red Cross to set up an emergency shelter at J.H.S. 278 Marine Park in Brooklyn for people who needed medical attention or relief from the heat, Mr. de Blasio said. That shelter remained open Monday morning
In a statement on Monday, Con Edison said the shutdowns were necessary “to prevent longer outages” that might have occurred as a result of equipment damage. Con Edison officials said they had faced a catch-22: If the utility had not shut off some power, there could have been a longer failure over a wider area.
On Sunday night, Con Edison officials said that overhead lines supplying the area were in danger of overloading as a result of the heat. “The actions we took were necessary to prevent longer outages to the impacted customers that would have occurred as a result of additional equipment damage,” the company said in a statement on Monday morning.
On Sunday night, Con Edison officials said overhead lines supplying the area were in danger of overloading because of the heat.
But both Mr. de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo expressed their frustrations, saying the utility should have been ready for a higher-than-usual power demand given that temperatures had been expected to linger in the mid-90s for three days.But both Mr. de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo expressed their frustrations, saying the utility should have been ready for a higher-than-usual power demand given that temperatures had been expected to linger in the mid-90s for three days.
“We’ve been through this situation w ConEd time & again & they should have been better prepared — period,” Mr. Cuomo said in a Twitter post Sunday evening. “We have been through this situation with Con Ed time and again, and they should have been better prepared — period,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement on Sunday evening.
Like much of the country, New York was under an extreme heat advisory during the weekend as a so-called heat dome spread from the central United States toward the Great Lakes and East Coast.Like much of the country, New York was under an extreme heat advisory during the weekend as a so-called heat dome spread from the central United States toward the Great Lakes and East Coast.
The city was not the only place to be stricken with blackouts during the heat wave. Massive power failures occurred in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, where severe storms and fierce winds brought down power lines.The city was not the only place to be stricken with blackouts during the heat wave. Massive power failures occurred in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, where severe storms and fierce winds brought down power lines.
In southeast Michigan, where temperatures also rose above 90 degrees over the weekend, around 600,000 customers of DTE Energy lost electricity, and about 250,000 were still without power as of Monday morning, the company said.In southeast Michigan, where temperatures also rose above 90 degrees over the weekend, around 600,000 customers of DTE Energy lost electricity, and about 250,000 were still without power as of Monday morning, the company said.
Strong storms also brought more modest failures in metropolitan Washington, where fewer than 5,000 utility company customers lost power on Sunday night, as the heat wave was ending.Strong storms also brought more modest failures in metropolitan Washington, where fewer than 5,000 utility company customers lost power on Sunday night, as the heat wave was ending.
In New York, the power shutdown on Sunday marked the second weekend in a row that parts of the city were driven into darkness.In New York, the power shutdown on Sunday marked the second weekend in a row that parts of the city were driven into darkness.
On July 13, an equipment failure caused a blackout that left more than 70,000 customers on the West Side of Manhattan without electricity for more than three hours.On July 13, an equipment failure caused a blackout that left more than 70,000 customers on the West Side of Manhattan without electricity for more than three hours.
Though Sunday night’s shutdown affected fewer people, it has taken far longer for Con Edison to restore power. Both Mr. Cuomo and Mr. de Blasio had heaped criticism on Con Edison at the time, with Mr. Cuomo calling for an independent state investigation into the Manhattan blackout.
The governor went so far as to threaten to have the state Public Service Commission revoke Con Edison’s license as the sole distributor of electricity in virtually the entire city and parts of suburban Westchester County.
While Sunday’s shutdown affected fewer people, it has taken far longer for Con Edison to restore power. Unsatisfied with the utility’s response, Mr. Cuomo called for state investigators to widen their inquiry to include the latest power failures.
The city’s public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, who previously represented parts of Brooklyn affected by the power failures on the City Council, said in a video posted to Twitter on Monday morning that he had been told the power would be restored by midnight.The city’s public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, who previously represented parts of Brooklyn affected by the power failures on the City Council, said in a video posted to Twitter on Monday morning that he had been told the power would be restored by midnight.
That outages continued on Monday, he said, was a failure on Con Edison’s part.That outages continued on Monday, he said, was a failure on Con Edison’s part.
“There’s still no electricity in many parts,” he said. “This is outrageous. Con Edison, you have so many questions that you need to answer.”“There’s still no electricity in many parts,” he said. “This is outrageous. Con Edison, you have so many questions that you need to answer.”
On Monday, Mr. de Blasio said he felt that Con Edison had not provided a satisfactory explanation for either episode. He called for an investigation into the utility’s structure and practices that would help keep the company more accountable.On Monday, Mr. de Blasio said he felt that Con Edison had not provided a satisfactory explanation for either episode. He called for an investigation into the utility’s structure and practices that would help keep the company more accountable.
“At this point, I do not have faith in Con Ed,” he said.“At this point, I do not have faith in Con Ed,” he said.
Con Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the mayor’s criticisms. Con Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the criticisms.
Regulators have penalized the company for blackouts in the past. In 2007, the state Public Service Commission hit the company with an $18 million penalty for power failures, including a nine-day blackout in western Queens in 2006.
Patrick McGeehan contributed reporting.