Lights Still Out in Queens

Parts of Queens are still without power after Con Ed equipment couldn't stand the strain last weekend and turned itself into kindling.

And there's no end in sight as there are still problems restoring power. Some areas had power restored briefly, only to see the feeder cables burn out again.

Con Ed spokesman Mike Clendenin said the damage to underground equipment in Queens is ``extensive,'' including burned out cables and transformers that need to either be repaired or replaced. The equipment will later be analyzed to determine how the damage contributed to the blackout, Clendenin said.

A round of thunderstorms Friday made the problem worse, flooding manholes that had to be emptied before work could continue. In addition, the bad weather knocked out some major circuits that had only recently been restored.

Con Edison hasn't been able to explain why the power distribution system began failing in the area on Monday at the height of a heat wave.

But Burke was able to detail the damage.

Burke said the problem began with failures on a series of feeder cables, circuits that carry 27,000 volts and supply entire neighborhoods with power.

There are 22 such feeder cables in the network serving the area with the outages, and they are designed to work redundantly, meaning if one fails, others can pick up the load.

Starting Monday, however, multiple feeders failed, leaving 10 out of service at the worst of the crisis.

Now, only one is out, but the repair work is far from over.

Burke said the current problem involves lower-voltage cables that were apparently damaged by carrying larger amounts of current than normal while Con Edison tried to keep the system running without its main feeders.

The utility company has fielded a chorus of criticism, from citizens irate at how long they're waiting for their power to the charge from City Council member Eric Gioia that Con Ed's ``failure to accurately report the extent of this crisis has slowed response time and caused critical delays.''

The utility originally said the electrical failures affected just a couple thousand private and business customers in Queens. But on Friday, Con Edison provided a new estimate of 25,000 customers, or as many as 100,000 people.

Joseph Bruno, commissioner of the city's Office of Emergency Management, said Saturday that power had been restored to no more than 15 percent of customers.

The situation is intolerable for the thousands living in the area. No power means no air conditioning, no refrigeration, no hot water, and no businesses operating in the area. Economic losses are piling up, and Con Ed's reimbursement rates are a pittance. Expect lawsuits to pile up against the utility and local politicians demand changes to the reimbursement schedules offered by the utility.

The Queens DA is looking into a criminal investigation.

The Bullwinkle Blog has named Con Ed the Knucklehead of the Day for its inability to restore power in Queens for more than a week. I think it's pretty well deserved, especially in the way the utility has underestimated the number of people affected (customers do not equal people).