September 25, 2001—Con Edison, a New York City energy provider, recently restored electrical service to all networks in lower Manhattan that lost power because of the September 11 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. The company is urging customers whose power has been restored to minimize the use of electricity while work continues in the area.
The Cortlandt network, which serves approximately 1,800 customers, is bounded by Barclay Street to the north, Broadway to the east, West Street to the west, and down to the southern tip of Manhattan.
While all networks affected by the attack are energized, individual buildings may be without power until the company can gain access to them to turn on electrical connections. For safety reasons, access to some areas where electric service has been restored may still be restricted and customers should contact local authorities before attempting to return to their homes or businesses.
Temporary generators are providing power to some buildings. In some cases, the generator cannot handle the entire building load so building personnel have disconnected electrical service to some of their tenants. Con Edison advises its customers not to attempt to hook up their own generator, but to call a licensed electrician.
The company has added an additional phone line for customers: 212/243-1900. The regular line, 800/75CONED, is working, but customers may experience delays.
