Mayor Noam Bramson sent out a robo-call asking New Rochelle residents to use good judgement before calling emergency responders and urged residents to stay home.
This is Mayor Noam Bramson. Police and Fire personnel will be working throughout the night to address emergency conditions. Please report any threats to life or safety immediately by calling 911. However, we ask that you please NOT report minor property damage or minor flooding, so that Police and Fire resources can be directed where they are needed most.
If you have lost power, please report your address to Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED, that’s 1-800-75-CONED. The City is pressing Con Ed for rapid repairs, but there are tens of thousands of households in Westchester County without power, and the timing for service restoration is highly uncertain.
Finally, for your own safety, we urge you to remain at home and avoid any unnecessary travel and, of course, to avoid any downed power lines Many local roads are obstructed by fallen trees and impassable.
We will provide additional updates as warranted.
Con Ed also issued a statement:
Con Edison Media Relations
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2010
6:20 p.m.CON EDISON WORKING TO RESTORE CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY WIND & RAIN STORM
NEW YORK — Con Edison crews are working to restore power to customers throughout its service area who have been affected by the heavy wind and rain storm that struck the area Friday and intensified on Saturday.
As of 6 p.m., about 50,000 customers were without power. Of those, about 18,000 were on Staten Island. The company reports more than 23,000 customers without power in Westchester County.
The company prepared crews and extra personnel to respond quickly and efficiently in anticipation of the storm.
Fierce winds and heavy rain have driven trees into power lines and knocked out electricity. The company expects the wind and rain to continue through the night, causing more tree damage and outages. As the rain continues, extensive flooding could damage underground electrical equipment in low-lying areas, which could also cause customers to lose power.
Con Edison has additional customer service representatives, electrical and construction crews, along with tree-clearing crews working around the clock to respond to customers and power outages that may occur.
Customers are urged to call Con Edison immediately to report any outages at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). Customers can also report power interruptions or service problems as well as view service restoration information online at www.conEd.com and on their cell phones and PDAs. When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power.
In the event of severe outages, primary distribution feeders are restored first, with the highest priority given to lines that supply the most customers out of service. Next, the crews restore secondary facilities, such as transformers and secondary cables, again with highest priority given to lines supplying the most customers out of service. Individual services, lines serving a single home, will be restored as crews become available.
Con Edison offers the following tips to prepare for a storm:
If you see downed electrical wires, do not go near them. Treat all downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by 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, turn off all lights and appliances to prevent overloaded circuits when power is restored. Leave at least one light switch in the on position to alert you when power has been restored.
Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are in working order. Use candles and oil lamps with care. Also, make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on restorations of electrical service can be heard on most local radio and television stations.
Avoid opening your freezer to see if food is still frozen. Every time you open the door, room-temperature air enters and speeds the thawing process. Most fully loaded freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 36 to 48 hours; half-full freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours.
The company will maintain close contact with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate storm response as necessary.
The Journal News reports on a tree down on Mayflower Avenue:
In New Rochelle an enormous tree fell across the driveway of a two-family house just after 3 p.m., crushing two or three parked cars on Mayflower Avenue, said one of the residents, Cathy Cahn.
“It’s bad,” she said. “The base of the tree is probably about close to 10 feet I would say. It’s huge.
Cahn said she was forced to climb over neighbor’s fence to get home.
“The police wouldn’t let me go near the front of the house because of all the downed wires.”
The house was left without power as a result.
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