FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Release 06-015
July 26, 2006

SUMMARY OF THE CITY’S RESPONSE TO QUEENS POWER OUTAGES

The City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinated the inter-agency response to the blackout Northwest of Queens residents. The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains active to monitor the status of the Con Ed network during this week’s forecasted heat wave. 

The following is a summary of City agency and not for profit resources that were deployed to the affected areas in Queens:

Police Department
Over the course of the power outage, the NYPD deployed hundreds of additional personnel. Police officers and traffic agents blanketed the 114th and 108th Precincts directing traffic and safeguarding people and property.  The deployment included eight mobile response vehicles and 12 commands posts staffed by Community Affairs Police Officers. The NYPD Aviation Unit provided aerial surveys that gave situational awareness to commanders on the ground.  The NYPD assisted in identifying customers with life sustaining equipment to ensure they had the resources they needed.  NYPD light towers were also placed at key intersections. 

Fire Department
The FDNY moved its engine and ladder companies into the field for the duration of the outage as well as opening up the quarters of Engine 312 for use as a feeding center.  The EMS Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle (MERV) was stationed at Steinway Street and Ditmars Boulevard to provide mass care to neighborhood residents. The Fire Safety Education Unit was also deployed to the area to hand out fire prevention and safety information.

Department of Transportation
DOT has returned all of the nearly 100 affected traffic signals to normal operations. They also installed and removed temporary STOP signs at more than 100 locations to help control traffic during the outage.

Department of Sanitation
DSNY provided enhanced service throughout the affected areas. Since Friday afternoon, Sanitation has had 32 additional collection trucks working, making 7648 unscheduled stops collecting a total of 159.29 tons of waste since the beginning of the blackout. In addition, mechanical street sweepers are still deployed in the area alongside a motorized litter patrol unit to pick up any debris that may have fallen into the street and street gutters.

Human Resources Administration
HRA opened the Special Services Center at its office in Long Island City.  The Center serviced 208 households representing 631 individuals.  Personnel from numerous city agencies staffed the Center to provide information and referrals to residents in the affected areas.  HRA distributed 936 meals and 22,015 bottles of water and 1040 bags of ice over the course of the outage.  Three vans and seven cars were utilized to transport residents to the Center and deliver supplies and services to homes and locations within the community. Crisis workers and volunteers were available 24 hours a day.

Small Business Services
SBS has reached out to 751 local small businesses in the affected area. Of these businesses, more than 40 percent had perishable items. These businesses were provided with ConEd claim forms for reimbursement for up to $7,000. SBS staff will continue its outreach in the neighborhood. In addition, in conjunction with the EDC, SBS is working to provide information to businesses on emergency loan applications and availability.

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
DOHMH dispatched dozens of food inspectors to address food safety issues in area restaurants and ensure that restaurants discard spoiled food. In addition, two mental health professionals have provided assistance via phone to residents seeking help at the Special Service Center. DOHMH also intensified its analysis of syndromic surveillance trends so that the city can quickly detect any heat- or diarrhea-related increases in the affected areas and citywide. To date, there have been no such increases. DOHMH is also prepared to intensify rodent control activities in the area if needed.

Health and Hospitals Corporation
HHC deployed a mobile medical unit at the intersection of Ditmars Boulevard and Steinway Street. The unit was staffed with medical personnel ready to address health issues that arose including providing residents with emergency medications such as insulin and blood pressure medication.  HHC also deployed three commuter vans to transport area residents to the mobile medical unit, the Special Services Center, or local hospitals if needed.

Department for the Aging
DFTA operated its senior centers during the power outage.   All senior centers were open and were able to provide food and water to seniors. DFTA deployed two wheelchair accessible vans to transport area seniors to these centers. Overall, over 950 seniors have visited these centers. During the power outage, 150 seniors receiving Meals-on-Wheels or senior home health services were checked on and contacted.

Department of Consumer Affairs
In addition to DCA staff at the Special Assistance Center, DCA Inspectors were in the field to monitor any reports of short supply and price gouging in the area.

Department of Citywide Administrative Services
DCAS provided logistical support to the overall relief operation, providing bottled water and vans for shuttle service between Astoria and the Special Services Center in Long Island City. 

Department of Correction
The Department of Correction distributed 5,000 meals throughout the affected areas.  These meals were available at senior centers, the quarters of FDNY Engine 312, as well as at several Salvation Army mobile kitchens. 

Economic Development Corporation
During the power outage, EDC assisted several companies and housing co-ops obtain emergency generators from Con Edison including Silvercup Studios, National Envelope, Playbill, Inc., and two housing co-ops in the NW Queens Boulevard Gardens. EDC also reached out to 18 area companies to offer assistance.

Department of Environmental Protection
The Bowery Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant has been returned to the Con Edison grid for power and is functioning normally after running on generator power to reduce load on the overall grid.  No increased odors have been detected in the community. Scheduled emergency fuel deliveries to Bowery Bay have been cancelled and the facility's fuel reserves are full. 

Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit
CAU has reached out to more than 350 local civic leaders and elected officials and provided them with information on where additional City resources are being dispatched and how the community can access assistance. CAU has also provided staff at each NYPD Command Post. CAU is also operating four commuter vans in the Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods handing out bottled water and food reimbursement forms. CAU is also organizing a volunteer effort in the area to staff vans and hand out food and water with the American Red Cross on MTA bus routes. CAU staff is also coordinating other agency commuter vans and advising on which neighborhood routes have the most people requiring transportation to City facilities such as the Special Assistance Center and the HHC mobile medical unit. 

OEM’s NYC Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
More than 45 CERT volunteers from Teams throughout the five boroughs of NYC were called upon to support relief efforts in affected areas including, assisting the 114 Precinct with traffic and crowd control, assisting American Red Cross (ARC) and The Salvation Army with food and water distribution, assisting the NYPD and ARC by visiting 25 buildings with reported Life Support Equipment customers , as well as staffing feeding locations and distributing literature and claim forms. 

The American Red Cross of Greater New York (ARCGNY)
The American Red Cross of Greater New York, in conjunction with City agencies served 19,000 meals, distributed 20,000 bottles of water and 20 cases of fresh fruit. 

The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army provided roving canteens trucks to dispense water and food to residents as well as work with the Department of Correction to distribute meals prepared by DOC. 

As during all periods of high energy demand, OEM urges residents to conserve energy to help prevent power disruptions:

Set your air conditioner thermostat no lower than 78 degrees.

Only use the air conditioner when you are home. If you want to cool your home when you return, set a timer to have it switch on no more than a half-hour before you arrive.

Turn non-essential appliances off.

Only use appliances that have heavy electrical loads early in the morning or very late at night.

Learn more about how to stay cool all summer long with OEM’s Ready New York: Beat the Heat guide. For more information about heat-related hazards and the Ready New York campaign, visit NYC.gov/oem or call 311.

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CONTACT: Jarrod Bernstein/Andrew Troisi 718-422-4888