Con Ed Reimbursing Douglas Manor Residents Affected by Nov. 23 Electrical Surge

Douglas Manor residents said they were glad that Con Edison had decided to reimburse homeowners who lost electrical equipment during a .

On Nov. 23, residents were left with thousands of dollars in damages and smoking appliances following an electrical surge that occurred just before 10 a.m.

Con Ed has begun to send reimbursement checks for residents who reported damages, said Jaime Sutherland, secretary for the .

“We’re very pleased with Con Ed,” she said. “There were a lot of people affected. Most of the feedback I’m getting from people in the community is very positive. People are getting compensated.”

Sutherland said Con Ed told her that the surge was a “voltage fluctuation.”

The utility could not be reached for comment.

George Schmidt, a Douglas Manor resident, said he received his check in the mail on Wednesday.

He submitted a bill to the utility for $1,800 after his convection oven blew out and he had to not only buy a new oven on the day before Thanksgiving, but also pay an electrician to install it.

But his compensation check was only for $1,333.

“I’m curious as to why they decided to discount, but I didn’t want to contest it,” he said. “Something is always better than nothing. I think they did the right thing.”

Schmidt said his computer was also damaged during the surge.

At the time of the event, Sutherland said the Douglas Manor Association received calls from more than 55 residents complaining about damaged appliances.

One elderly man lost electricity for three days, while resident Katherine Bealin lost a garage door, dishwasher and a brand new electric piano.