Con Edison Prepared To Respond To Post-Storm Manhole Events

We received the following press release from the NYC Office of Emergency Management regarding Con Edison on Saturday, December 19: 

NEW YORK – Con Edison crews are at the ready to deal with smoking or fiery
utility holes in the wake of this week’s snowstorm.

Melting snow on heavily salted streets frequently create service problems a few
days after a major snowstorm, with salt and melting snow getting into utility
structures and eroding electrical cables, sometimes resulting in smoke or fires.

Con Edison has extra crews available to deal with potential problems; the company is prepared to respond to any service problems that arise. Manhole covers weigh between 70 to 300 pounds. Many are vented to allow gases to escape, rather than build up in the structures, helping to prevent explosions. During these post-storm periods, it’s advisable to keep pets away from lampposts, grates, and utility hole covers, especially when it’s cold and wet. Customers can sign up for text alerts at coned.com/text. Customers also can report outages and check service restoration status at conEd.com/reportoutage, or with Con Edison’s mobile app for iOS or Android devices, or, as mentioned above, by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).

Customers who report outages will receive updates from Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available. Information on outages and restoration times also is available at the Con Edison outage map.

Con Edison personnel continue to practice social distancing to keep everyone safe from the coronavirus. Con Edison is following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the health emergency. Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.

Click here to download the press release document. 

Photo credit: Con Edison