New York City, September 17, 2010 — Con Edison crews continue to work around the clock to repair downed power lines and restore electric service to customers affected by the powerful storm that pounded Queens and other areas last night.

Additional crews have been brought in from the Bronx, Westchester and Orange and Rockland Utilities, to assist in the restoration process.

Last night's tornado-force winds and heavy rain drove trees into power lines and knocked out electricity.

About 37,000 customers were affected by the storm in the Con Edison service area, with Flushing, Rego Park, Maspeth and Jamaica being among the hardest hit.

As of 7 a.m. today, crews had restored power to about 13,150 customers. Currently, 25,609 are without power.

Con Edison will provide estimated restoration times as soon as damage assessment by crews can be completed, as well as the inspection of roadways that need to be cleared.

Con Edison has additional customer service representatives, electrical and construction crews, along with tree-clearing crews working around the clock to respond to customers and power outages.

In the event of severe outages, primary distribution feeders are restored first, with the highest priority given to lines that supply the most customers out of service.

Next, the crews restore secondary facilities, such as transformers and secondary cables, again with highest priority given to lines supplying the most customers out of service. Individual services, lines serving a single home, will be restored as crews become available.

The company is maintaining close contact with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to coordinate storm response as necessary.