'We saw utilities fail': NY Legislature to hold hearing on Isaias response, outages

The New York state Legislature will hold a joint legislative hearing to examine what its leaders call "the response failures of various utility companies" in the aftermath of Isaias.

News 12 Staff

Aug 9, 2020, 4:03 PM

Updated 1,447 days ago

Share:

The New York state Legislature will hold a joint legislative hearing to examine what its leaders call "the response failures of various utility companies" in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.
The storm cut power to hundreds of thousands of people across the state, and tens of thousands of outages persisted on Sunday on Long Island, in the city and in Westchester -- days after the storm struck.
In a press release issued Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the upcoming legislative hearing "will evaluate the utilities’ preparation and response to the storm outages and related issues."
“Across the state, we saw utilities fail and people lose power,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “Today, we still have thousands and thousands of people waiting for their power to be restored with no clear end in sight. This is unacceptable. The joint legislative hearing will get to the bottom of what went wrong, why the response was so slow, and what can be done to improve responses going forward.”
“Tropical Storm Isaias left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power," Heastie was quoted as saying in the release. "Several days have passed and utility companies still have not fully restored power. This is unacceptable. We need to examine what happened and identify ways that we can be better prepared in the future.”
The press release said that the joint legislative hearing will examine the emergency storm response for utilities following Tropical Storm Isaias, with a focus on the Long Island, Westchester, and New York City regions, where the vast majority of outages in the state occurred. It said the hearing will be streamed live on the Senate and Assembly websites, but a date for the hearing wasn't immediately provided.
As the outages linger into a new week, it's expected to heat up while people without power deal with a lack of air condition and refrigeration. Temperatures were expected to climb into the 90s in parts of the tri-state area this week.
YOUR PHOTOS: Tropical Storm Isaias 
undefined
 
 


More from News 12
0:32
Police arrest man in connection to shooting murders in Clinton Hill

Police arrest man in connection to shooting murders in Clinton Hill

1:40
Nearly 300 probationary firefighters join the ranks of FDNY

Nearly 300 probationary firefighters join the ranks of FDNY

1:46
Sunny and warm weather with lower humidity for the weekend in Brooklyn

Sunny and warm weather with lower humidity for the weekend in Brooklyn

1:54
East Flatbush residents 'Occupy the Corner' for a safe summer

East Flatbush residents 'Occupy the Corner' for a safe summer

1:24
G train shutdown impacting Bed-Stuy commuters negatively

G train shutdown impacting Bed-Stuy commuters negatively

1:44
Gun detectors could arrive in NYC subway stations today as NYPD prepares pilot program

Gun detectors could arrive in NYC subway stations today as NYPD prepares pilot program

1:43
Welder Underground unveils ‘Rappin' Max Robot’ through apprenticeship program

Welder Underground unveils ‘Rappin' Max Robot’ through apprenticeship program

0:47
Attorney General James releases body camera footage of fatal officer-involved shooting in East Flatbush

Attorney General James releases body camera footage of fatal officer-involved shooting in East Flatbush

0:24
Police: Suspect wanted for punching 72-year-old man at 25th Street subway station

Police: Suspect wanted for punching 72-year-old man at 25th Street subway station

1:54
Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination

Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination

1:44
The Real Deal: How to save on expenses amid rising costs in New York

The Real Deal: How to save on expenses amid rising costs in New York

1:36
Students set to receive OMNY cards with more rides and less restrictions

Students set to receive OMNY cards with more rides and less restrictions

1:31
Tenants in Flatbush building say they are living with broken floors, mold, leaks and holes

Tenants in Flatbush building say they are living with broken floors, mold, leaks and holes

1:41
Neighbors describe MTA bus crashing into Burger King in Kensington

Neighbors describe MTA bus crashing into Burger King in Kensington

1:46
YMCA promotes swim safety services on World Drowning Prevention Day

YMCA promotes swim safety services on World Drowning Prevention Day

0:37
Brooklyn DA: Former teacher accused of enticing teenagers to send him explicit images

Brooklyn DA: Former teacher accused of enticing teenagers to send him explicit images

1:14
New lawsuits filed against Gov. Hochul's congestion pricing plan pause

New lawsuits filed against Gov. Hochul's congestion pricing plan pause

1:35
Rally outside Brooklyn Public Library calls for end to alleged 'power grab' from Mayor Adams

Rally outside Brooklyn Public Library calls for end to alleged 'power grab' from Mayor Adams

1:55
Residents say rats are taking over Sheepshead Bay street

Residents say rats are taking over Sheepshead Bay street

0:29
Southwest breaks 50-year tradition and will assign seats; profit falls at Southwest, American

Southwest breaks 50-year tradition and will assign seats; profit falls at Southwest, American