While frigid weather moved into the city on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 7, with wind chills dipping to below zero, it was even colder and windier in Broad Channel, which is surrounded by Jamaica Bay. At approximately 8:15 a.m., a primary wire came down, likely due to the weather, and high winds caused a power outage that impacted 501 customers whose homes represent a good portion of the neighborhood.
“As soon as I heard about the blackout, I reached out to New York City Emergency Management and Con Ed, and they got crews out immediately, so I would like to thank them for being such good community partners,” Council Member Joann Ariola said. “Not only did they have a rapid response, but they kept the crews on site to make sure that there were no follow-up outages.”
Just prior to the power outage, Broad Channel Civic Association board member Marty Feeney said the winds were coming off the bay at 60 miles per hour near his house.
“When I heard that the lights were out in town, I immediately contacted Council Member Ariola’s office. She and her Chief of Staff, Phyllis [Inserillo], immediately got on the phone with Con Edison to find out when we would be restored and what had caused the outage,” Feeney said. “We contacted her office at 8:30, and by 10:05, the electricity was up and running. Both the council member and Phyllis remained engaged the rest of the day to make sure that all of the residents in town were OK, and we were even given emergency crews overnight in case there was another outage.”
Broad Channel resident Eddie O’Hare took note of the rapid response.
“The lights went out and next thing you know, the crews were here,” he said.
Power was fully restored to the 501 homes a few minutes after 10 a.m., and Con Ed crews remained on location for several more hours making additional repairs and replacing defective overhead equipment.
Ariola thanked the utility company and police from the 100th Precinct in Rockaway Beach.
“The NYPD also responded immediately to direct traffic and ensure the safety of pedestrians after the street lights went out,” she said. “Kudos to the 100th Precinct for their fast reaction as well.”
