Heat brings power failures in Brooklyn, subways - & it could hit 100 today

[Trainspotter]

Heat brings power failures in Brooklyn, subways - & it could hit 100 today

BY BARRY PADDOCK, WIL CRUZ, JORDAN LITE and STEPHANIE GASKELL

DAILY NEWS WRITERS

June 9th 2008

 

Here we go again.

 

[float=right]

Schwartz for News

Kids cool off on a corner of Amsterdam

Avenue near City College.

[/float]Just two days into a record-breaking heat wave, power cuts knocked out subway service and shut down air conditioners in Brooklyn Sunday, even though Con Ed promised it was ready for summer.

 

Christine Rankin was sitting on her stoop in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, last night waiting for the power to come back on.

 

"If we have a hot summer, this is just going to suck," said Rankin, 42. "Our second hot day and they can't even handle it."

 

Temperatures hit 93 and could make a run at 100 Monday.

 

On Bergen St., about 300 customers lost power and were forced out onto the street to find relief from the sweltering heat as their air conditioners stopped running. "Like anything else it gets too hot and blows," a Con Ed worker on the scene told the Daily News.

 

[float=right]

Maisel/News

A young girl is taken to an ambulance after

she was overcome by the heat at the beach

in Coney Island.

[/float]Several street lights were out, forcing police to direct traffic.

 

Bobby Kucevic, manager of Gino's Pizza, closed his doors early last night as the Italian ices started to melt. "I don't want to close [because] maybe the lights are going to come on," he said. "But nobody knows nothing."

 

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, about 160 customers lost power.

 

Belowground, riders on several subway lines were stranded as power cuts kayoed the signal system.

 

The entire line, which links Brooklyn and Queens, was shut down. Parts of the and lines were stopped, too. The and lines experienced delays.

 

[float=right]

Sabo/News

Jose Roman, 16, of Puerto Rico shades

himself with a flag at the Puerto Rican

Day Parade.

[/float]All of them were up and running within about two hours, NYC Transit officials said.

 

After the blackout of 2006, Con Ed vowed to fix the system. Just last week, Con Ed officials told The News that there was enough electricity to meet demand.

 

Sunday, a Con Ed spokeswoman repeated those reassurances, saying there is "sufficient supply."

 

"This is a severe heat wave, but we have extra crews on standby and we are monitoring the system closely," said Con Ed spokeswoman Elizabeth Clark.

 

She urged New Yorkers to conserve energy when the temperatures rise, as they're expected to reach close to 100 degrees today.

 

The Health Department said heat-related emergency room visits were up threefold and heat-related calls to the Emergency Medical Service were 10 times higher than usual.

 

"People may not be acclimated to the heat so they're feeling it more than they would if it were a midsummer heat wave," said Dr. Tom Matte, the city's director of environmental research.

 

The official start of summer isn't until June 21 - but the soaring temperatures feel more like the dog days of summer than spring.

 

Today "will be the peak of the heat wave," said John Murray, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

 

On Long Island, strong thunderstorms knocked out power lines and downed trees. Service on the Long Island Rail Road was disrupted, and thousands of people were without power.

 

John David Wheeler, a professional barbecue griller from Mississippi, toiled over a hot pit at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party in Madison Square Park yesterday.

 

The temperature near the grill was a whopping 170 degrees.

 

"If I knew it was going to be 98 in New York today, I wouldn't have come," he said.

[trainfan22]

I hope the 4th ave lines get jacked so they can send those R46s and R160s down in my neck of the woods LOL. It would make for some good photo ops

 

but this heat is bad news for SI and BX bus riders LOL.

[Pablo M 201]

Subway service was really FUBAR and on the wrong day too.

[East New York]

Well, it's 93 Degrees in the BK, and it's not even 1 o'clock yet! I predict 102 by 4:15pm. Those old buses are going to start droping like flys today.

[Pablo M 201]

Well, it's 93 Degrees in the BK, and it's not even 1 o'clock yet! I predict 102 by 4:15pm. Those old buses are going to start droping like flys today.

Yeah man, it hit 95 here in Jersey a while ago and The Weather Channel predicting 102 by 2 PM. Shit, I gonna fry today cause I got to do a few things today especially if I have to take HBLR and walk.

[metsfan]

91 in midtown supposed to have a high of 98. Supposed to be 100 today here in my town, 96 right now.

 

- Andy

[Pablo M 201]

91 in midtown supposed to have a high of 98. Supposed to be 100 today here in my town, 96 right now.

 

- Andy

Here in Joisey City it jumped from 95 to 99 in about 20 minutes!

[East New York]

91 in midtown supposed to have a high of 98. Supposed to be 100 today here in my town, 96 right now.

 

- Andy

 

It's 96 here in BK now. Feels like 100 already. There were 36 Road Service calls yesterday, and 19 of them were in SI. I feel for them today.

[DOB2RTO]

Well, it's 93 Degrees in the BK, and it's not even 1 o'clock yet! I predict 102 by 4:15pm. Those old buses are going to start droping like flys today.

 

 

All of the 400-600 series so far, have been sluggish on these blistering days. People have been complaining about the A/C (they are really lacking on the 400-600series, when it is really hot outside). The drivers been sweating driving driving the old dawgs. It's going to fun this week, for depots with articulated buses. I know for a fact they will be dropping like flies, with no crap to eat. 2 massive A/Cs, 66,000lbs, and an engine designed to pull an Orion V. Can you say engine strangulation??????

[Brighton Local]

We hit 108 down here in Arizona a few days back.:cool: You guys want to talk about keeping cool?!! lol

[Bushwick Bill]

I hope the 4th ave lines get jacked so they can send those R46s and R160s down in my neck of the woods LOL. It would make for some good photo ops

 

Thats a really dumb comment to post. Use your head.

[Pablo M 201]

Thats a really dumb comment to post. Use your head.

I don't see nothing wrong with it. He lives along the Brighton line so thats what he meant with "my neck of the woods". It would be nice to see R160s and R46 down Brighton. Damn right it makes good photo ops.

 

Yeah, hoping service its jacked is wrong to think, I know I think of that alot to be photo greedy and for good rides, but no harm thinking it or hoping.

[metsfan]

I don't see nothing wrong with it. He lives along the Brighton line so thats what he meant with "my neck of the woods". It would be nice to see R160s and R46 down Brighton. Damn right it makes good photo ops.

 

Yeah, hoping service its jacked is wrong to think, I know I think of that alot to be photo greedy and for good rides, but no harm thinking it or hoping.

 

Ya, i mean if everything's funked up anyways, whats one more little change gonna do? I mean a perfect example is the tie replacement work train i get to see on the :nec:. I don't want there to be problems with the ties that require a while track to be taken out of service, but as it is i'll benefit from it as far as photography etc because trains are really weirded out as far as platforming at trenton. Septa trains have been boarding on track 1 and 4 as well as the usual track 5. Great photo ops, but crappy for people trying to get places.

 

- Andy