ETA ON POWER RESTORATION

NYSEG Service Area : Earlier today I visited NYSEG’s Command Center in Pound Ridge. They confirmed that they now have dispatched crews to Bedford. As earlier mentioned, the first priority is de-energizing lines for safety purposes and to enable line crews to work on them. That process is nearly complete and, I am advised, storm damage assessment has been concluded. As you probably know, the estimated restoration date/times on NYSEG’s power outage page (http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html) for most areas in Bedford is March 5 at 11:45 PM. I have been asked whether the estimates are reliable. If they stick to working as they have been today, I think the estimates are reasonable, but, of course, no guarantees. I regret that I have no better information than that.
Con Edison Service Area : I have no information other than what’s posted to the Con Edison outage site. I have requested information about when Con Edison crews will arrive – as best I know, they have not arrived. As such, I am concerned about the reliability of Con Edison’s estimates. As I write this, I am on a municipal conference call with Con Edison and perhaps I’ll learn more (though prior such calls haven’t been terribly illuminating).

WARMING AND CHARGING CENTERS
We now have three locations in Town where you can come by, warm up, get a cup of coffee and charge your phone and any other personal devices.
Courtroom in Town Offices Will opened this morning at 11 AM this morning and will be open through 8 PM tonight. If I have volunteers, we’ll be open tomorrow. I’ll provide updates as soon as I receive it.

DRY ICE
We distributed dry ice and water this afternoon. I’ll advise whether we will be able to get more dry ice from NYSEG’s facilities and will let the community know as soon as possible on distribution plans.

OVERNIGHT SHELTER POSSIBLE
Katonah United Methodist Church might be establishing overnight shelter starting this week. The Church is located at 5 Bedford Road, Katonah, New York. Please call 914-232-4094. Details to follow as soon as we have them.

BE SAFE
Given the incidents over the past couple of days, I am compelled to repeat precautions I’ve mentioned previously and add a new one regarding traffic lights that are out:

Live Wires
Not all downed lines have been cleared. These are LIVE electrical wires posing an imminent danger. As I mentioned in my previous posts, PLEASE BE SAFE and PLEASE DON’T EVADE OR UNBLOCK barricades or emergency tape which emergency personnel have put in place. They are there to protect the community. We have reports from our Fire Departments of multiple incidents of motorists and others cutting emergency tape or moving barricades exposing themselves to LIVE power lines. You will get electrocuted and die if you take this type of action. Please stay away from downed wires! They have NOT been de-energized. The first priority for the utilities is to get them de-energized.

Carbon Monoxide
Please do not use natural-gas powered kitchen ovens or ranges to heat your home. Using these cooking appliances for heating creates a significant risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is invisible, odorless and tasteless. It is formed by the incomplete burning of fuels such as heating oil, wood, gasoline, natural gas, propane and charcoal. Also, don’t use charcoal grills indoors for heating or cooking because of the CO risk that also creates. The same warning applies to fireplaces that are not properly ventilated.

Traffic Light Outages
We have one traffic light out in Town, but there are others that are out in neighboring towns. Motorists approaching a malfunctioning traffic light should stop their vehicles as if they are approaching a stop sign. This means come to a full stop. The only exception is when a police officer directs you to proceed otherwise. Once stopped, you must obey the applicable right-of-way laws. Following your stop, you must yield to any other vehicle that has already entered the intersection from any other direction or one that presents an immediate hazard.

Please feel free to e-mail me at supervisor@bedfordny.gov or call me at 666-6530. Please call the Police Desk at 914-241-3111 with reports of downed trees or wires or e-mail me.
Thanks for your patience.

Statement issued by Chris Burdick, Supervisor of the Town of Bedford