Strong Winds Shut Down Power For Hundreds of Queens Residents

A Con Ed employees repairs a downed power line. Photo via Con Ed.

By Jonathan Sperling

Wind gusts of up to 55 mph caused power outages and knocked down trees across Queens and the rest of the boroughs on Monday, according to data from Con Edison.

Nearly 9,000 customers citywide were impacted overnight by “strong winds blowing trees and other debris into electrical equipment,” according to Con Ed. More than 150 Con Ed customers in Queens were still without service as of noon on Monday, the most of any borough besides the Bronx.

“Much of the restoration work has been accomplished through remote switching, but an army of about 470 power line personnel, including over 200 contractors and mutual aid workers, will be working to restore customers throughout the day,” Con Ed said in a statement. “Extremely dangerous wind gusts may delay or impede restoration work if workers are unable to work safely in bucket trucks.”

The strong winds also felled trees throughout Queens, home to more than 253,000 trees. That’s the most of any borough by far, according to the New York City Parks Department.