22K Brooklynites Lose Power As Hurricane Isaias Descends On NYC

BROOKLYN, NY — More than 22,000 Brooklynites were without power Tuesday afternoon as Hurricane Isaias descends on the city.

As of 5 p.m., 22,669 Con Edison customers in the borough were without power, accounting for about a tenth of the 165,000 or so households that lost power in Con Ed's coverage area across the five boroughs and Westchester.

The outages spiked sharply in the afternoon. Brooklyn only had about 10,000 outages around 2 p.m.

Most of the outages were in Eastern Brooklyn, including more than 6,000 customers who lost power in the East Flatbush and Canarsie area. Nearly 1,000 more were without power near Sheepshead Bay, according to the Con Ed map.

The power company said on its website that it was preparing to deal with power cuts, specifically in the outer boroughs.

Con Ed had sent text messages to its customers in all boroughs except Manhattan, where power lines are underground, telling them that line could be downed.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said special defenses against coastal flooding were being put in place around South Street Seaport and other parts of Lower Manhattan that were devastated during Sandy.

High winds from Hurricane Isaias also caused issues with subway service in the outer boroughs.

Fallen trees and debris from 70 mph had caused service changes to at least seven train lines as of 2 p.m. The MTA also suspended all above-ground service, saying it was not safe to have straphangers or staff wait on platforms.

Tropical-storm-force winds are expected throughout New York City from Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday. Sustained winds of 45-55 mph and gusts up to 70 mph are possible during the storm's peak.