Electricity by Sunday, or Later? Thousands Without Power

The City of Rye issued an update on the storm and power outage Thursday night. And Con Ed is still showing 2,186 customers or 35% of Rye without power.

Here is what you need to know:

• Hundreds of residents regained power Thursday – a “minor miracle” according to Mayor Josh Cohn
• Con Ed says Rye is “one of Westchester’s hardest hit municipalities”
• Rye has been assigned a second “Con Ed “cut and clear” crew”
• Con Ed said Thursday “the majority of Westchester Con Ed customers would have electricity by Sunday”

On the good news side, Purchase Plaza will continue for at least another ten days. The city council, whose meeting Wednesday was postponed, will consider further extension the next time it meets.

The full update from the City:

“On the good news side of the ledger, Con Ed informs us that hundreds of Rye residents who were without power now have it back. As far as we can tell, this minor miracle was the result of problems being resolved outside of Rye, allowing power to return to some in Rye. On the other side of the ledger, there are still thousands of us without power. Con Ed characterized Rye on its municipal call today as one of Westchester’s hardest hit municipalities — resulting in our getting a second Con Ed “cut and clear” crew, but still no power restoration presence of which we are aware.

On today’s call, all Con Ed was willing to say was that the majority of Westchester Con Ed customers would have electricity by Sunday. The minority…well, later.

We are trying to get the message to the New York State Public Service Commission and our state legislators that something has to change — Con Ed can’t be left to prepare for weather crises on its own. If you agree, feel free to second.

One important point to make clear: Con Ed is choosing the path of restoration that it deems most efficient. Con Ed is obliged to understand how its grid has been damaged and how to begin with the remedies needed to bring up as much of its grid as it can, as quickly as possible. I heard today that the Golf Club had power and some thought the City had a hand in that. Nope! If the golf club has its lights back, it just means that sometimes the good lord looks after golfers.

Please also understand that priorities followed in previous storms may have no bearing on how Con Ed chooses to triage the damage brought by Tuesday’s storm. Isaias’s heavy footprint is different from Quinn and Reilly’s, and Sandy’s before.

With that second cut and clear crew working with our DPW, we hope to have all our main roads cleared of fallen trees and wires by quitting time today.

DPW, as many residents have commented, is doing a tremendous job, as are our Police and Fire Departments.

We have had no new Coronavirus cases reported today, though we still have a few current active cases. Keep your guard up.

Purchase Plaza will continue for at least another ten days, subject to further continuation by the City Council. Fortunately, our bar and restaurant patronage has brought us only good cheer — and not the notoriety and yanked liquor licenses of elsewhere. Our thanks to proprietors and patrons alike.

The Chamber of Commerce has scheduled activities on the Plaza this week. Please go to the Chamber website to see what’s up.

The census, of course, has been proceeding in COVID-friendly fashion but will be starting its still-COVID sensitive door knocking campaign today. If you haven’t responded to prior inquiry, please do respond to the knock. It is so important that we get Rye residents counted. Scarsdale, we are told, is the County leader in census participation. C’mon Rye, are you going to stand for that?

Mayor Josh Cohn”