Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls on Con Edison to Address Delay in Service Restoration

Following reports that many neighborhoods in New York’s 14th Congressional District still lack power due to Tropical Storm Isaias, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released the following statement calling on Con Edison to take short- and long-term measures to address their apparent lack of preparedness for the storm.

 “My office has been in constant contact with Con Edison since the storm, and while I appreciate the hard work being done by Con Edison’s frontline employees, it’s clear that Con Edison management was not prepared for this storm.  Con Edison has said that the vast majority of customers are expected to have their power restored by the end of day Sunday – five full days after the storm hit. That is unacceptable. In the peak of summer, our elderly are being trapped indoors without A/C and, given the risk presented by COVID-19, they have few safe options for leaving their home to find respite.  Other constituents have lost income because they have no internet access and cannot work remotely. We have also heard from community members with medical conditions who are unable to use their medical devices or properly store their medicine without refrigeration. Con Edison must do whatever it can to restore power more quickly to those most at risk and it must also conduct a thorough self-evaluation so it is not unprepared like this again.”

The Congresswoman also released this list of resources for constituents impacted by the storm damage:

– Customers can report outages or service problems by calling 1-800-75-CONED (26633).

– Con Edison’s online outage map has the most up to date information about individual outages.

– To receive text update alerts on power restoration go to ConEd.com/text or Text REG to OUTAGE (688243) for updates.

– People can report storm damages to the City through 311 (online or phone). Make sure that even if a tree is reported elsewhere that you also submit the report to 311.

– Treat all downed wires as live. They may be hidden under tree branches and pools of water. If you see a downed tree or wire please call Con Edison at 800-752-6633.

– NYCHA has some tree damage and some power outages. They are doing wellness checks. Customer Contact Number is 718-707-7771 for residents to report outages or damage.

– For Con Edison customers in The Bronx, dry ice is available at the Home Depot Store 1806 E Gun Hill Rd from 1PM – 9PM. For customers in Queens, dry ice can be picked up during the same hours at the Forest Park at the George Seuffert Bandshell parking lot, 19 Forest Park Drive.

– Con Edison recommends that customers keep receipts for spoiled food and medicine. They can submit their claim to Con Edison here.