SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Source: niznoz/Flickr

More than 1,230 households are without power in Marine Park, Mill Basin and other areas, after a transformer exploded on Avenue T and Hendrickson Street.

The explosion occurred at approximately 6:40 p.m., and Con Edison has been called to the scene.

Notify NYC has issued the following report:

Con Edison is responding to a power outage in Brooklyn zip codes 11226, 11203, 11210, 11229, 11234, and 11236.  To report a loss of electric service, contact Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (26633) or online at http://www.coned.com.

The Con Edison power outage map gives an estimated restoration time of 1:00 p.m. December 5.

[UDPATE [12:25 p.m.): Ryles has notified Sheepshead Bites that power has been restored.]

A swath of Kingsborough Community College’s (2001 Oriental Boulevard) campus went dark this morning, forcing a partial evacuation as administrators and crews work to assess the system’s status.

A tipster on campus for a test at the school’s library notified Sheepshead Bites at approximately 11:00 a.m. that the library had been suddenly evacuated as the lights went out. The test administrators did not share details with our tipster, but did say that buildings without power were being evacuated due to an “emergency on campus,” and that it might have to do with a broader power outage affecting Manhattan Beach.

Ruby Ryles, a spokesperson for Kingsborough, confirmed that there was presently a power outage in her office in the Administration building.

“We just haven’t determined to what extent the outage is, but part, if not all, of the campus is without power,” she told Sheepshead Bites.

Ryles could not confirm if any buildings other than the library had been evacuated, or what the cause of the outage is. We are waiting to hear back from her if she receives more information, and will post when received.

It’s not clear how large the outage is. A resident on Hastings Street and Oriental Boulevard, near the neighborhood’s center, noted that he still had power. Menorah Home and Hospital (1516 Oriental Boulevard), located adjacent to the school, also has power, a rep told us.

Swaths of the community have been without power since Superstorm Sandy flooded homes and Con Edison infrastructure, and Con Edison has been doing construction work in the community.  Their outage map does not appear to reflect the Kingsborough outage as of press time, but there is a marker nearby on the map noting that there is an “emergency outage to make repairs.”

This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to tips (at) sheepsheadbites (dot) com.

Source: niznoz/Flickr

We know we’ve got a lot of angry readers, upset about their lack of power and Con Edison’s sluggish recovery efforts. Part of that is because of fire safety – following Sandy, Con Edison’s rush to restore power sparked several blazes as damaged wiring inside homes became energized. Others, though, claim that the neighborhood just isn’t getting enough attention, and customers are getting a runaround when they try to go through the now-mandatory certification process before power is restored.

Well, forget calling them and waiting on hold. You can now get some face-to-face attention. Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz informed us last night that Con Edison’s command trailer and outreach van are now parked at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Voorhies Avenue. It will remain there 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the foreseeable future to assist Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach residents with power issues relating to Hurricane Sandy.

The command trailer has forms and other information for customers who have been in the dark for the last week and a half, including the self-certify forms, which in theory will speed up the normal service restoration process. Personnel at the accompanying outreach van are available to field individual Con Edison complaints.

Con Ed vans and trailers are also parked in Sea Gate (Lyme Avenue and Highland Avenue) and in Gerritsen Beach (Gerritsen Avenue and Lois Avenue).

Super reader Ilan. P just informed us of a little-known claim form on Con Edison’s website, allowing residents to be reimbursed up to $450 for actual losses of food spoiled due to lack of refrigeration from a power outage. Furthermore, they’ll reimburse businesses up to $9,000 for actual losses of perishable merchandise spoiled due to lack of refrigeration.

With thousands of residences and businesses out of power for this long, it’s no wonder Con Edison is staying hush-hush about this particular claim. But all the info can be found on their website.

Huge thanks to Ilan. Hopefully this helps some of our residents and local businesses get back on their feet in the face of the awful economic toll of Hurricane Sandy.

Clarification (5:15 p.m.): As many readers have pointed out, Con Edison has clearly stated they will not reimburse for food lost due to Hurricane Sandy. However, since the storm has left the area, several parts of the neighborhood that had power throughout the ordeal have since lost it, or others where it was restored later lost it again. It wasn’t clear in the original post, but we’re encouraging those of you who’ve experiences power outages after having power following the storm to apply for this compensation. We do not guarantee you will receive anything, but it’s worth the 10 minutes if you do.

Source: niznoz/Flickr

Councilman Michael Nelson’s office needs your help to get power back to areas still blacked out from Hurricane Sandy.

According to representatives for the councilman, his office is working closely with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Office of Emergency Management and Con Edison to expedite restoration of power to the neighborhood.

But amid the confusion of Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, identifying priorities remains in the hands of residents.

The councilman’s office is asking that those without power or know of large buildings or blocks without power to email mnelson1@council.nyc.gov, or to call Mary Scarfogliero at (917) 494-6208.

They ask that you include the address of the property without power, and, if you have it, the following information:

• Approximate number of tenants or apartments if a large building or block
• Management company contact information, including name and number, or
• The superintendent’s name and number, or
• If a private property, the name and phone number of the owner.

Residents should also call (800) 75-CONED and file an individual complaint. The office reminds residents not to assume the company knows about it or someone else has lodged a complaint. Areas that receive the most complaints are prioritized by the company.

Additionally, Nelson’s office was flooded during the storm, and so calling his district office or trying to walk in won’t work. Use the contact information about for any requests to his office you may have.

When power returned unexpectedly to huge swaths of the neighborhood yesterday, it brought fires with it as electricity surged into broken power lines and flooded homes.

In the video above, Sheepshead Bites reader Marina captured a tree on East 21st Street between Avenue Y and Avenue Z that burst into flames when a broken power line draped across it came alive.

In Manhattan Beach, much of it still under inches of water and with homes flooded, the return of power led to what one described as an “underground explosion.” Police were reportedly telling people to leave their homes and blocked off sections as fire crews responded across the area.

Homes in Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay lit up, and sparks flew from home power lines and caused basement fires.

If your power has not yet been restored, make sure to manually shut off power to your home using your circuit breaker. If your circuit breaker was soaked from the floods, you should have an electrician evaluate it before turning it back on. If you do it yourself, use rubber gloves and rubber soled shoes, and only turn individual sections of your home so you don’t overload your system.

According to the Con Edison outage map, thousands in the area are still without power. While the map does not currently show estimated restoration times, you can get that by using the tool here.

We’re getting a lot of messages about restored power throughout the neighborhood. We’ve heard it from people in Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach, as well as those living around Avenue Z, Avenue Y, East 7th Street, East 13th Street and elsewhere.

Let us know in the comments if your power is still on or off so we can get a better sense of how things are progressing.

At approximately 9:15 p.m. tonight, thousands who were lucky enough to enjoy continuous electricity after Hurricane Sandy had the privilege snatched away as Con Edison cut power from Sheepshead Bay to Flatbush.

The affected area seems to be between East 16th Street to Knapp Street (and, further north, Nostrand Avenue), and from Emmons Avenue – which was already without power – to as far north as Foster Avenue.

That put Sheepshead Bay, Homecrest, Midwood, and a chunk of Flatbush.

According to super reader Ariela Baranov via our Facebook page:

Update for the most recent blackout: ConEd on the radio saying there was a transistor overload, so they took down the Sheepshead Bay network which affects many surrounding neighborhoods and about 160k customers. That makes about 815k customers in the dark now. They took it down to make sure there would not be a further cascade, and hope to have that particular network up within the next 4 hours or so. Let’s hope that’s an accurate estimate.

She said this info came by way of a public radio announcement by a Con Ed rep on CBS 88 AM.

UPDATE (12:04 p.m.): We’re hearing power is back online for many affected by this. Those who lost power during the storm, though – well, on to day two.

Sheepshead Bay has just been hit with its first major outage, affecting 1,050 customers according to the Con Edison power outage map. They are citing a 6:00 p.m. restoration time.

This may just be confined to one building. Reader Jeffrey W. e-mailed us to say power is out at a large co-op building at 2719 East 28th Street between Voorhies Avenue and Shore Parkway, which is roughly where the Con Ed map has the outage centered.

The Con Edison power outage map is indicating that 1,073 households in the Gerrtisen Beach and Marine Park areas are without power.

The outage appears to be centered around Gerritsen Avenue and Bijou Avenue. They are estimating a restoration time of 8:00 p.m.

Know of any other power outages? Please let us know by e-mail or texting tips@sheepsheadbites.com!