Day 11: Almost There

As of noon Friday, State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin reported that 888 are still in the dark in Scarsdale – or 14% of the 6,025 Con Edison customers in the Village. For those who remain without power, the improvement in service may be little consolation-- but indeed we are in the home stretch. Hang on for just another day as Con Edison has promised that everyone will be restored by Sunday at 11 am. Though it’s disappointing that they missed their drop-dead restoration date of November 9, the end of this nightmare is in sight.

If crews have already been on your street but your house was not restored, re-enter your complaint so that they know they missed you. Here is the link: https://apps2.coned.com/csol/reportoutage.asp

Also, for those with power but without Verizon or Cablevision service, call and report it ASAP. Here are the phone numbers: For Cablevision call 914-777-9000; for Verizon call 1-800-Verizon (1-800-837-4966)

If you’re back in a warm house, don’t forget what happened. Take action now to prevent another catastrophe. Though you may feel powerless you do have some power to effect change.

Here are two things you can do:

Vote in the election for the Citizen’s Nominating Committee. In this election, you elect representatives who will then select Scarsdale’s next Mayor and Village Trustees. Two nominators are elected from each neighborhood to serve three-year terms. This year, for the first time, you can print out your ballot online and mail it in. Visit www.scarsdaleprocedurecommittee.org for complete instructions.

Whether or not you like Scarsdale’s non-partisan system, it’s the method that is now in place to choose our leadership. So take a minute to cast your ballot by mail or plan to vote in person on November 14 at Scarsdale Village Hall or at the Scarsdale Public Library.

The second way to make a difference is to register a complaint about Con Edison with the Public Service Commission. They regulate public utilities and monitor customer feedback. You can make a complaint online by clicking here: http://www.dps.ny.gov/complaints.html or you can use the following text to send a letter to Jaclyn A Brilling of the New York State Public Service Commission

Dear Secretary Brilling:

I write as a resident of New York State, Westchester County, and the Village of Scarsdale. In every sense of the word, I am powerless.

I am not only without electrical power, but without any power to change the horrific treatment Con Ed has given to the Village of Scarsdale and other Westchester residents following Hurricane Sandy. Just from what I saw on the streets of my community, it is clear that Con Ed was not adequately prepared for the storm, did not allocate sufficient resources to the Village of Scarsdale, assigned Scarsdale a lower priority than other municipalities, did not begin assessing damage in the Village until many days after the storm, and did not communicate accurately any restoration information. The Con Ed outage map was inaccurate. The "Check Status" portion of the Con Ed website provided either no restoration time or a default time over ten days after the storm and over a week after New York City power was restored. Eight days after the storm, 50% of residents remain without power.

These are just a few of the glaring deficiencies obvious to consumers and residents of the Village of Scarsdale. Presumably, other deficiencies are more apparent to your offices or will be determined after investigation. I request that your office begin a full investigation of Con Ed's deficient service to Scarsdale residents and report the results publicly and to me. In those results, please indicate what changes will be made so that Scarsdale residents will receive appropriate priority and service from Con Edison in the future, and what penalties or other disciplinary action will be imposed upon Con Ed.

Respectfully submitted,

[Name]

Mail your letter to:

Secretary to the Commission
Hon. Jaclyn A. Brilling
Secretary to the Commission
New York State Public Service Commission
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building 3
Albany, NY 12223-1350
Phone: (518) 474-6530
Fax: (518) 486-6081
Email: secretary@dps.ny.gov