Gravesend residents spend sweltering Fourth of July waiting for power restoration following storm damage
Residents on West 8th Street said the tree came down Friday night during the storm. The loud sound it produced had many saying it reminded them of Superstorm Sandy.
Some Gravesend residents spent their Fourth of July without electricity and searching for answers a day after a large tree crashed into multiple power lines. The fallen tree knocked out service for neighbors who were already dealing with triple-digit heat.
Residents on West 8th Street said the tree came down Friday night during the storm. The loud sound it produced had many saying it reminded them of Superstorm Sandy.
Frustration was growing by Saturday afternoon as temperatures climbed toward 100 as homes remained without power.
“We've been calling everyone - the city, 311, Con Edison - and so far News 12's the only one who showed up,” said resident Denise Ditta, whose backyard was damaged by the fallen tree.
Ditta said the outage has been especially difficult for seniors who live in the area.
“We have old folks, seniors. What are they going to do? All our food for the holiday is gone. It's ruined,” Ditta said.
Parks Department crews arrived Saturday and removed much of the tree that had been blocking the roadway. However, utility lines remained tangled in the debris and around a damaged vehicle beneath the tree.
Residents were told the lines were still energized, which prevented further cleanup and delayed repairs.
The owner of the damaged vehicle said the incident has already cost him two days of income because he is a delivery driver for DoorDash in addition to expected repair costs.
Neighbors said they understand safety concerns surrounding live wires but want a faster response, given the length of the outage and the number of people who were still impacted as of Saturday evening.
“It's disappointing with how many people are affected here,” Ditta said.
The outage comes as Con Edison crews continued to respond to scattered storm-related issues across the city. As of Saturday evening, Con Edison's outage map showed hundreds of customers without service systemwide, with Brooklyn accounting for dozens of active outages as restoration efforts continued.
As night fell on the holiday, residents in Gravesend said they were still waiting for the lights - and the air conditioning - to come back on.
