Heat Wave, Power Outages Continue

Following another day of triple-digit temperatures, Consolidated Edison crews are urging residents to be mindful of their power consumption as they work to fix a number of outages across the five boroughs. As of late Wednesday night, the utility company says about 1,817 customers are without power. The majority of those affected are in Brooklyn and Queens, where Con Ed has reduced voltage to prevent full-on outages. Earlier in the day, utility crews distributed dry ice for refrigerators and set up a customer service van at East 21st Street and Foster Avenue in the Flatbush/Prospect Park South neighborhoods. Those without power say they are getting frustrated. "In our building we have no power, and I'm an asthmatic with a baby, so that's bad business for us," said one New Yorker. "Some parts of my house has power, some when you flick the lights on, the lights comes on very, very dim," said another. Con Ed is urging customers to conserve power by closing shades and blinds, and turning off nonessential appliances. The company also wants customers to use washers, dryers or dishwashers only during off peak hours and keep thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says elevators and escalators at the Atlantic Avenue and Court Street stations in Brooklyn remain out of service due to the reduced power. Several elevators at the Pacific Street and Boro Hall stations have been hooked up to portable generators, and are providing service to riders. Over at the city's 311 call center, phone lines have been heating up because of the warm temperatures. City officials say operators are at the ready with information on where to go to beat the heat. Operators have also been taking reports of open hydrants and complaints of low water pressure. "As the temperature goes up, the call volume does go up. For the first six days this month, we have actually had about a 40 percent increase in call volume. That's versus a typical call volume for that period. And most of that is heat related," said 311 Executive Director Joseph Morrisroe. Over the past few days, 300 call takers have been working extra shifts, up from the usual 200 working on a regular shift. For more information on cooling centers, pools and beaches, call 311 or go to nyc.gov/oem.