WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. August 1, 2006: Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains has made public his concerns about the efficiency of Con Edison efforts in White Plains during the July 19-20-21-22-23 “Mystery Storm” recovery.

Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains Demands Better Con Ed Response. Photo, November 2005 WPCNR News Archive

Rocked on Ridgeway, July 18, 2006. Photo by WPCNR News

In a letter to Sandra Miller, Director of Public Affairs for Con Edison in Westchester County, the Mayor cites Con Edison for shorting White Plains Con Edison personnel, delaying 7,000 residents’ return to power. Here is a copy of the Mayor’s letter:

July 24, 2006

Dear Ms. Miller,

The storm that hit White Plains on Tuesday July 18, 2006, caused massive outages throughout the southern end of White Plains, particularly the Highlands, Gedney Farms, Rosedale, Saxon Woods, Havilands Manor, and Hillair Circle neighborhoods. According to your own estimates, more than 7,000 White Plains residents experienced outages and were without power for the better part of last week. The damage caused by this storm, which struck quickly and inflicted massive damage to electrical infrastructure, could not have been predicted.

My concern is in how few Con Ed line crews were available within the City of White Plains once the storm had passed. Our Department of Public Works (DPW) amassed a crew of more than 100 employees, who worked around the clock to clear the affectedl areas of trees and debris.

Unfortunately, the work of the DPW staff was hampered by an insufficient presence of Con Ed personnel necessary to  ensure that power was cut to the lines so that we could move as quickly as possible to clear the affected areas. I would also ask that a review be taken by Con Ed to ensure that the staffing levels are adequate in the most affected areas.

It has also been brought to my attention by our residents that information was difficult to obtain from Con Ed, and that often the information that was communicated was incorrect. I would suggest that Con Ed review their communications process as it relates to handling inquiries and disseminating information to the customers after major storm activity has passed.

I thank you in advance for your attention to the concerns I have outlined above. Please contact me directly should you wish to discuss this matter further.

Sincerely

Joseph M. Delfino

Mayor