Mid-week nor'easter knocks out power to 10k ConEd customers, total now around 70k
A Con Edison crew work in the southbound lanes of the FDR Drive. (Getty) Credit: A Con Edison crew work in the southbound lanes of the FDR Drive. (Getty)
About 10,000 ConEd customers lost power during this week's nor'easter, bumping up the total powerless customers in the city to about 70,000, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday.
An additional 40,000 Long Island Power Authority customers are without power, mainly in Queens and Breezy Point, and Bloomberg said that damage from salt-water flooding is hindering restoration.
"Con Ed and LIPA continue to make progress in restoring power," he said, "much of the problem now is that buildings where switches and wires were damaged by flooding and salt water aren't yet safe to be re-electrified."
In a separate news conference, Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed the utility companies for what he has repeatedly called an "unacceptable" response to Sandy.
"Storm damage to the electricity distribution system in the U.S. Northeast exposed deep flaws in the structure and regulation of power utilities that will require a complete redesign," he said Thursday.
"The utility system we have was designed for a different time and for a different place," he said. "It is a 1950s system they have failed the consumers. The management has failed the consumers."
Tax hike in town's proposed budget ... Residents sue over industrial park plan ... Attacks ads targeting Suozzi paused ... Out East: McCall Wines
Tax hike in town's proposed budget ... Residents sue over industrial park plan ... Attacks ads targeting Suozzi paused ... Out East: McCall Wines
