Harlem NYCHA building partially without power, AC due to outage amid extreme heat
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- For a second straight day, power outages were a theme across New York City, leaving part of a NYCHA apartment complex in Harlem without power since Thursday afternoon.
For residents at the NYCHA Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Towers on Lenox Avenue, some windows were wide open, as temperatures outside, despite triple-digit heat, were cooler than inside.
"I was sitting in my car, running my AC in my car, it doesn't make any sense," said Harlem resident Cassia Diomonde.
Cassia and Cecile Diomonde say they lost power at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
They are among the residents in one line of apartments in the complex who have been using lanterns to see at night and have freezers full of melted food.
Cecile Diomonde also has medication that needs to stay refrigerated.
"It was completely dark last night. My mom had to go to the store and go get candles for our lanterns and we had to put it around the house because it was pitch black," she said.
In a statement, NYCHA said electricians are responding to the electrical outage impacting the line of apartments.
"During summer high heat events like this, the Authority increases relevant skilled trades staffing levels as part of our preparedness efforts. Residents in need of assistance are encouraged to call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 or submit work tickets through the My NYCHA application," NYCHA said in the statement.
They said the nearest cooling center is at 50 Lenox Ave.
Residents and business owners say the traffic lights have been flickering for several hours on Friday.
Meanwhile, on Atlantic Avenue and 111th Street in South Richmond Hill, Con Edison knocked out power to about 10,000 customers in this part of Queens.
NewsCopter 7 capturing vehicles trying to navigate intersections with no traffic signals Friday afternoon.
ConEd temporarily shut off power and reduced voltage to 8% in certain neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn to allow for quicker repairs and avoid more widespread outages.
The utility company, meanwhile, handed out bags of dry ice at Resorts World Casino.
Some residents in Howard Beach say they've had no electricity since Friday afternoon.
"This is for my fridge and my parents. My parents are out as well. So, they gave us 10 bags, Five for me and five for my parents," said Howard Beach resident Mike Desena.
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