Story Towers residents demand answers after power shut off without warning
Tenants told News 12 they endured sweltering conditions inside their apartments, with some saying they became sick from the heat and were forced to leave their doors open to get fresh air.
Residents at Story Towers in Soundview say they were left without power after electricity to the entire building was shut off without warning on June 23.
Tenants told News 12 they endured sweltering conditions inside their apartments, with some saying they became sick from the heat and were forced to leave their doors open to get fresh air.
Residents say the outage caught them by surprise and pointed to a Con Edison notice posted months earlier that referenced an unpaid electric bill of more than $1 million. They also say that on the same day the power was shut off, they received an email from a third-party utility company asking tenants to sign up for electric service. It left many confused about who was responsible for the outage and what would happen next.
News 12 reached out to building management for answers about why the power was shut off and the email residents received. Management declined to comment.
Con Edison says terminating electric service is a last resort and only happens after repeated efforts to work with customers on unpaid bills. While power has since been restored, residents say they're still worried the same thing could happen again.
