Westchester Officials Announced New Warming Shelters​

WHITE PLAINS, NY — After three days of slower than expected storm recovery from utility companies, Westchester County officials are taking steps to provide extra support to the thousands of county residents who are still left without power. The county is announcing that the Westchester County Center will be open Monday evening as well as Tuesday to provide coffee, warmth and a place to relax for Westchester County residents.

County Executive George Latimer said that days after the nor'easter thousands of Westchester residents are still sleeping in cold home with no lights and downed power lines right outside their doors.

“I find this disgusting,” he said. “I am outraged at both Con Edison and NYSEG’s slow and inadequate response. On Sunday, I expressed doubt that NYSEG would be able to meet their timeline of restoring power by Monday night — unfortunately I was correct.”

The County Center will be open with coffee and family entertainment:

• Monday night, Feb. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Children’s Movie Screenings at:
    • 10 a.m.
    • 5 p.m.
    • 7 p.m.

In addition to these efforts, the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection has been hard at work ensuring residents do not fall victim to illegal price gouging by area businesses, according to a county spokesman. The department has sent out crews to investigate anecdotal reports of issues at hotels and gas stations as well as monitoring their phone lines for any new incidents. Those looking to file a complaint can call the Department at 914-995-2155.

Director of the Department of Consumer Protection Jim Maisano said, “Since early this morning, my team has been sent to various locations around the county to make sure Westchester consumers are being treated fairly during this time of uncertainty. It’s our job to be Westchester’s consumer watchdogs, and we are hard at work doing just that. If anyone sees any instances of price gouging, please contact our department immediately so we can further investigate.”

The Westchester County Center is located at 198 Central Ave. in White Plains.

Image via Shutterstock.