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Updated 11/10/2012 05:19 PM

Frustrated Brooklyn Residents Wait For Power To Return

By: Bobby Cuza

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Consolidated Edison says it's now restored power to nearly all customers who are able to receive it, but that's little solace to the thousands who remain in the dark. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

In Sheepshead Bay, there are the haves and the have-nots: those with power and those without.

"Some places have power, some places don’t," said one resident. "I've got a building on my block with power, but no one else does. I can't figure it out."

Con Ed says it's now restored power to nearly all who lost it, but that's not counting some 35,000 customers who can't receive power because of storm damage. Saturday, the utility set up seven command posts to help just those people, though it seemed they were mostly helping customers vent their anger.

Residents said the most frustrating things are the mixed messages from Con Ed, including, in some cases, multiple automated phone calls alerting them falsely that power was about to be restored.

"2:30 in the morning, you’ll have your lights restored," said one resident. "Then the next day, 11 o’clock at night, your lights will be restored. Now, it’s Sunday."

"Why can’t you just give us one answer or even tell us you don’t know?" said another resident. "What is it that you’re doing?"

Meanwhile, in nearby Coney Island, the famed Wonder Wheel is also offline. The problem, though, isn't electricity but electronics. Critical hardware was damaged, but a backup system that's almost a century old still works.

"The one from 1918 is fine," said a worker. "The one with all these little microchips in it is what's giving me a headache."

Still, as the cleanup and recovery continue, there are positive signs. The N train has been restored all the way to Coney Island, and to boost spirits, the Wonder Wheel promises free rides on opening day next spring.