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LIVE BLOG - Isaias' aftermath

Latest updates - Cuomo singles out Con Ed and PSEG LI for 'lousy job,' NY Legislature to hold hearing on utilities' response, and a slew of outages linger across the tri-state.

News 12 Staff

Aug 3, 2020, 9:38 AM

Updated 1,591 days ago

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LIVE BLOG - Isaias' aftermath
News 12 has you covered with hour-by-hour updates on the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias, with the latest information and updates as they come in.
What you need to know right now:
  • NY Gov. Cuomo rails against utilities' storm response
  • NY Legislature to hold hearings on utilities' storm response
  • Slew of power outages linger across tri-state
  • National Weather Service confirms CT tornado
  • President Trump approves CT disaster declaration
Your Isaias Photos:
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Aug. 10, 11:45 a.m. On a conference call with the media on Monday, Gov. Cuomo singled out PSEG LI and Con Edison for what he said was a 'lousy job' in responding to Isaias. He noted that he has directed the state's Public Service Commission to investigate, adding that the utilities could be forced to pay fines or restitution. He warned the utilities directly: "Your franchise can be revoked," and said, "If you're not serving the people of the state -- if you don't provide the service, they will revoke the license."
 Aug. 9, 11:30 a.m. New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie have announced a joint legislative hearing will be held to examine what they call the response failures of various utility companies during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias. They say the legislative hearing will evaluate the utilities’ preparation and response to the storm outages and related issues.
Aug. 8, 2:30 p.m. More than 695,000 homes and businesses in the New York tri-state area were still without electricity Saturday as utilities continue trying to get the lights on four days after Tropical Storm Isaias. As of midday Saturday, over 300,000 customers were in the dark in Connecticut, more than 280,000 in New York City and its suburbs, and more than 108,000 in New Jersey.
Aug. 7, 5:40 p.m. The National Weather Service confirms an EF1 tornado touched down during Isaias in Westport Tuesday with wind speeds up to 105 mph.
Aug. 7 10:45 a.m. Gov. Ned Lamont says President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Connecticut that will allow the state to request federal aid for damage caused by Tropical Storm Isaias. 
Aug. 6, 5:30 p.m. Con Edison says it anticipates restoring power for a majority of its customers affected by Isaias by Sunday night. 
 
Aug. 6, 5 p.m. Over 48 hours after the storm hit, over 300,000 people have had power restored, according to PSEGLI, but fewer than 135,000 are still in the dark.
Aug. 6, 11 a.m. Service was restored on the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson and Montauk branches early Thursday morning, which had been the last remaining suspensions since Isaias shut the LIRR down systemwide Tuesday.
Aug. 5, 9:30 p.m. JCP&L says some customers in New Jersey may not get power back until next Tuesday. Crews are working around the clock and 3,300 workers are set to arrive Thursday to help in the hardest hit areas.
Aug. 5, 9:30 p.m. PSEG reports customers in some New Jersey areas could be without power through the weekend. The utility says about 1,700 workers are coming in from out-of-state to help.
Aug. 5, 5:46 p.m. Gov. Ned Lamont says he submitted a request to the FEMA for a presidential emergency declaration due to the impact of  Isaias on Connecticut.
Aug. 5, 4:56 p.m. Gov. Ned Lamont says Eversource has invested tens of millions into its response following Superstorm Sandy, but that this was still one of the worst outages in state history. He says the Connecticut National Guard has been activated to help clear downed trees and wires. Officials from Eversource say that there are 450 power restoration crews currently working to restore power across the state. That number is expected to double in 24 hours, they say.
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Aug. 5, 4:30 p.m.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has declared a state of emergency in Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties to provide local governments with additional clean-up and operational support following Tropical Storm Isaias.
 
Aug. 5, 4 p.m. Skyhawk 12 has captured a birds-eye view of the damage inflicted on the tri-State area by Tropical Storm Isaias. Click HERE to see News 12 drone footage of the aftermath of Isaias.
Aug. 5, 3:15 p.m. The National Weather Service confirms that two tornadoes touched down in New Jersey during the height of Isaias – one in Ocean County and the other in Cape May County. One tornado ripped through an almost 2-mile section of Upper Township, making a straight line across Route 9.
Aug. 5, 3 p.m. Orange First Selectman James Zeoli says 83% of residents in the town were still in the dark as of Wednesday morning and that it may take days for the power to be restored.
Aug. 5, 2:57 p.m. PSEG Long Island is being criticized for its storm response after hundreds of thousands were left without power Tuesday afternoon.As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 300,000 people were still in the dark. On Tuesday, PSEG referenced working with Verizon in order to resolve "communications issues" customers were having. Verizon released a statement Wednesday, saying, "The vast majority of our wireless and wireline networks are performing as usual in the Northeast. As customer issues have arisen, we've been working around the clock to resolve them and have deployed portable network assets in areas where coverage and capacity have been impacted by commercial power outages."
Aug. 5, 2:30 p.m. Nearly 1 million Connecticut residents were left without power after Tropical Storm Isaias, Eversource and United Illuminating are reporting.Eversource is reporting that 619,028 of its customers have no power, and that the stretch from Greenwich to Westport was hit especially hard.
Aug. 5, 2:15 p.m Long Island Rail Road riders can expect delays and cancellations today due to service being only partially restored. Service has resumed on most lines, though on a limited basis with delays expected. The Montauk line is still suspended, and the Hempstead branch has limited eastbound service.
Aug. 5, 1 p.m. County Executive MaryEllen Odell declared a state of emergency in Putnam County. Officials say 86% of NYSEG customers are without power.
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Aug. 5, 12:09 p.m. Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency for Connecticut in response to the widespread power outages caused by the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias.
 
Aug. 4, 10:30 p.m. Eversource reports that just under a half a million of its customers remain without power. The stretch from Greenwich to Westport were especially hard hit. The town of Redding has about 90% of its customers still in the dark. United Illuminating reports that more than 100,000 customers are without power. Fairfield and Milford had the highest number of outages, but Orange had the largest percentage of outages with 94% of the town knocked offline.
Aug. 4, 10:25 p.m. Con Edison reports Westchester has 95,288 customers without power. Orange and Rockland has 33,135 Orange County customers without power and 56,346 Rockland customers without popwer. NYSEG has 33,278 Westchester customers without power and 38,693 Putnam County customers without power.
Aug. 4, 10:20 p.m Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted Tuesday night that 870,000 customers in New York had lost power, with 80,000 already having power restored.
 
Aug. 4, 10 p.m. PSEG reported that at the height of outages due to Isaias, 430,000 of its customers on Long Island were in the dark. Over 90,000 customers have seen restorations thus far, but 338,000 people were still affected as of late Tuesday night.
Aug. 4, 9:40 p.m. Metro-North says it resumed limited outbound service from Grand Central Terminal on the Hudson and Harlem lines for the remainder of the day after earlier Isaias suspensions.
Aug. 4, 9 p.m. Limited service has resumed on the LIRR's Far Rockaway and Long Beach branches. Officials say crews will work overnight to restore the remaining closed lines.
Aug. 4, 8:33 p.m. Con Edison says Westchester has 95,592 customers without power. NYSEG has 33,278 Westchester customers without power and 38,693 customers without power in Putnam. Orange and Rockland has 33,135 Orange County customers without power and 56,346 without power in Rockland.
Aug. 4, 8:30 p.m. Eversource reports that more than 400,000 customers are without power. Eversource is also experiencing issues with its automated outage reporting systems. United Illuminating reports there are 115,586 customers without power. Fairfield has 15,123 outages and Milford has 12,270.
Aug. 4, 7 p.m. As of 6 p.m. Con Ed had 88,423 customers out in Westchester. NYSEG had 33,278 customers out in Westchester and 38,693 customers out in Putnam County. O&R had 33,135 customers out in Orange County and 56,346 out in Rockland County.
Aug. 4, 6:45 p.m. A PSE&G spokesperson told News 12 that power may be out for some New Jersey residents for two or three days in the aftermath of Isaias. Spokeperson Rebecca Mazzarella said it was one of the "strongest storms" to hit the New Jersey area in recent years. Gov. Murphy believes a total restoration could take longer than three days.
Aug. 4, 6:20 p.m. Con Edison says the amount of customers impacted by Isaias has surpassed the amount affected during Hurricane Irene. The utility says this makes it the second largest storm-related outage in the company's history, second only to Superstorm Sandy.
Aug. 4, 5:40 p.m. PSEG reported that more than 368,000 of its customers on Long Island have been impacted by the storm, with about 36,000 restorations thus far. The hardest hit areas to this point are in the Hempstead, Levittown and Westbury area.
Aug. 4, 5:30 p.m. O&R is reporting 26,921 customers are without power in Orange County and 56,346 customers are without power in Rockland County. Con Edison is reporting 84,948 customers without power in Westchester County. NYSEG is reporting 28,842 customers without power in Westchester and 33,762 customers without power in Putnam.
Aug. 4, 4:30 p.m. Con Edison reports 76,087 customers are without power in Westchester County. NYSEG said 28,209 customers were without power in Westchester, and 33,336 customers were without power in Putnam. O&R reported 49,834 customers without power in Rockland and 26,353 customers without power in Orange.
Aug. 4, 4 p.m. NJ Transit has suspended its service systemwide due to overhead wire and signal issues.
Aug 4, 2:42 p.m. The LIRR says it has suspended systemwide service due to dangers of Isaias. 
 
 
Aug. 4, 2:20 p.m. Metro-North has suspended service on several lines due to high winds and unsafe conditions.
Aug 4, 1:08 p.m. Utilities in New Jersey report about 600,000 people are currently without power. 
Aug 4, 11:39 a.m. Approximately 50,000 power outages reported in Ocean County, NJ.
Aug 4, 11:36 p.m. The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado touched down near Ocean City, NJ this morning.
Aug 4, 11:01 a.m. Residents in parts of southern New Jersey are posting videos on social media of funnel clouds in the area. 
 
 
Aug. 4, 7:20 a.m.: Tornado Watch issued for the entire tri-state region until 4 p.m. as Isaias approaches.
Aug. 4, 4:30 a.m. Tornado watch issued for parts of New Jersey as state braces for Isaias, which approaches with heavy rain and strong winds.
Aug. 4, 4 a.m. Isaias weakens to a tropical storm over eastern North Carolina, says National Hurricane Center.
Aug 3, 11:54 p.m. Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. 
 
Aug. 3, 10:59 p.m. The latest data shows Isaias moving at 22 mph with wind gusts of 105 mph.  The storm is still a hurricane and is expected to make landfall in the Carolinas. 
Aug. 3, 10:30 p.m. Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency in New Jersey ahead of Isaias' arrival. 
Aug. 3, 8:59 p.m. Isaias has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Carolina coast before tracking toward tri-state on Tuesday. It had sustained winds of 75 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
Aug. 3, 5:30 p.m. The latest model guidance from Isaias still has it as a tropical storm, but moving toward the tri-state area slightly faster.
Aug. 3, 11:30 a.m. The National Weather Service has extended the tropical storm warning covering the tri-state area to western New Jersey, and further north into the Hudson Valley and Connecticut.
 Aug. 3, 5:10 a.m. A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of the tri-state region as Tropical Storm Isaias takes aim for Tuesday into Wednesday.
Aug. 2, 6 p.m. A tropical storm watch has been issued for coastal parts of the tri-state region as Isaias remains on track to reach the area Tuesday into Wednesday with downpours and gusty winds.
 Aug. 2, 3 p.m. Tropical storm warnings and watches have been posted for stretches of the southeastern U.S. coast, from Florida up through North Carolina. Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to forge a path north along the coast after lashing parts of Florida.
Aug. 2, 12:30 p.m. Tropical Storm Isaias had maximum sustained winds at 65 mph as of 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm's center was located about 55 miles east-southeast of Fort Pierce, Florida. The center of the storm was forecast to travel near the state's eastern coast throughout the day, and fluctuations in strength are possible into Tuesday, forecasters said.
 
Aug. 2, 8 a.m.  Florida’s east coast has started to see the first bands of heavy rain from Isaias. Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it barrels toward Florida.
Aug. 1, 5 p.m. Forecasters say Isaias has weakened to a tropical storm, but it was expected to regain hurricane strength overnight as it nears Florida.
Aug. 1, 11 a.m. Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour at 11 a.m. Saturday morning, a slight decline from earlier in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The center of the storm was expected to move over northern Andros Island in the next several hours, on to Grand Bahama Island in the northwestern Bahamas later in the day then near the east coast of Florida overnight through Sunday. It was expected to weaken slowly by late Monday.
Aug. 1, 6:30 a.m. Authorities in North Carolina are ordering people on Ocracoke Island to evacuate beginning Saturday evening ahead of Hurricane Isaias. The island was slammed last year by Hurricane Dorian.
Aug. 1, 5:45 a.m. Officials in Miami are closing beaches, marinas and parks as Florida braces for the impacts of Hurricane Isaias. Miami has 20 evacuation centers on standby that could be set up with COVID-19 safety measures, according to authorities there.
July 31, 5:54 p.m. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for his state's county in the path of Isaias.
 
July 31, 5:08 p.m. Forecasters have posted a hurricane warning for the populated stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast as Isaias nears the Bahamas.
July 31, 4:19 p.m. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has directed New York state agencies to prepare and pre-deploy emergency response assets as Hurricane Isaias continues to gain strength.
July 31, 3 p.m. Forecasters have declared a hurricane watch for parts of the Florida coastline as Hurricane Isaias drenches the Bahamas on a track for the U.S. East Coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph Friday morning and it was expected to remain a hurricane for the next few days.
July 31, 12 p.m. As of Friday morning, the tri-state region was in the storm's so-called "cone of uncertainty." News 12 meteorologists will continue to track the storm's path, but it could bring impacts to the area early next week.