Tens of thousands of New Yorkers without power

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers were still without power Friday, the fifth day of an electrical problem blamed for subway delays, flight cancellations and dead air conditioners during the hottest week of the year.

Consolidated Edison initially said fewer than 2,000 customers were affected, but the company raised that number to 25,000 Friday morning.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg estimated that would translate to 100,000 people, considering that each "customer" could be more than one household.

The blackouts started Monday in a few neighborhoods in Queens. Since then, hundreds of businesses have been idle, and the city's jail complex on Rikers Island has had to operate on backup generators. Some building elevators were not running, and traffic lights were not working.

Con Edison spokesman Chris Olert said the revised number followed a block-by-block cable inspection in northwest Queens on Thursday night.
He said the company didn't know why things went wrong.
"Chances are fair, but not firm, that it was heat related, but right now that is just a hypothesis," he said.