NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Four New York state utility companies face “steep penalties” for failing to adequately prepare for and respond to Tropical Storm Isaias, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
The Department of Public Service sent letters to Con Edison, Orange & Rockland, PSEG Long Island, Central Hudson and internet provider Altice-Optimum informing them that their “wholly inadequate” responses to the storm that battered the tri-state earlier this month violated the state’s Public Service Law, Cuomo said in a release.
The four providers now face “steep penalties and must take immediate corrective actions so that similar failures are not repeated during the remainder of hurricane season,” the release said.
“The response to Tropical Storm Isaias by the electric utilities was completely unacceptable. Fifteen days later and we are still hearing complaints from families and businesses,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“With many weeks remaining in the hurricane season, we do not have the luxury of time — utilities must act immediately to fix their broken storm response apparatus, and the Department of Public Service must act more swiftly to hold utilities accountable,” he added.
Approximately 1.3 million customers in New York state dealt with power outages during the storm, according to the release. Some families waited days for their power to be restored.