Heat wave causes power problems across NYC
The brutal heat wave caused power problems across New York City on Friday.
Thousands of customers across the five boroughs were left in the dark.
Power outages leave residents sweating
It was a race against the clock for businesses along Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, where the power went out and shop owners scrambled.
"We have over $8,000 [in] merchandise. They're going to melt," said Sabrina Ally, manager of an Italian ice shop.
The inventory, and the promise of what should've been a big revenue weekend, was dissolving for Ally's shop.
"We cannot take credit [cards] because we have no power," she said.
At the neighboring Ragtime Quick Shop, owner Joey Russo was in the same boat, where fresh goods were going bad.
"It's July 4th weekend. You expect to have a bang-out weekend ... and then you're hit with this," he said.
They were among the thousands that lost power Friday. Con Edison said it was forced to temporarily shut off electric service to nearly 10,000 customers in southwest Queens in an effort to make quicker repairs and prevent extended and widespread outages in other parts of the borough.
But for mom-and-pop businesses it meant foregone earnings and disappointed customers who were turned away.
In addition to the homes and businesses in the area, some traffic lights in Howard Beach were out for hours, forcing the NYPD to direct traffic.
Con Ed said it's working around the clock to restore service in those impacted areas. The utility said the combination of triple-digit temperatures, high humidity and the demand for air conditioning has put extra stress on the grid.
Crews urge customers to report outages and conserve energy during peak hours.
Click here to check Con Ed's current outage map.
The sizzling heat is also driving up emergency room visits. On July 1, NYC's Department of Health said it had 32 emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses, which is on par with what they expect during heat waves.
Cooling vans will assist in NYC
Extreme heat and humidity is one of the leading weather-related causes of death in the United States. According to New York City Emergency Management, last year more than 500 New Yorkers died from heat illness.
New York City has activated roughly 500 cooling centers across the five boroughs. Click here to find one near you.
"We're bringing, for the first time in city history, are a number of vans that are both providing New Yorkers in need with water, with electrolytes, with a cool place to be, as well as with transport to cooling centers. Because, as you said, we're facing the hottest temperatures the city has seen in more than a decade," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
A total of 21 of those vans will be making stops citywide, with a focus on the homeless. Addditional cool mobile outreach teams are also helping conduct welnness checks for vulnerable adults.
Mamdani is urging NEw Yorkers to do their part by unplugging unused electronics and by setting air conditioners to 78 degrees to help conserve energy.
For more helpful information on beating the heat, click here.
