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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. October 30,2012:

Mayor Tom Roach of White Plains is in the process of updating residents with a recorded announcement, received at 12:10 this afternoon.

The Mayor reports the newest Con Edison count of White Plains customers without power is 11,892 — more than half of all Con Ed customers in the city, and the Mayor notes that half of Westchester County Con Ed customers are without power.

The Mayor said Renaissance Plaza, Hamilton Avenue and Main Street in the center of the downtown are closed due to falling debris from  the 5 Rennaissance Plaza tower/  The closures  may be  impeding crosstown traffic on Main Street and Hamilton.

He asked residents to stay off the streets, and that so far there have been no fatalities or injuries to persons in the city as a result of the storm, “and we want to keep it that way.”

The Mayor said the Post Road school is open as a shelter, where there are cots and food available, entry is from the Sterling Avenue side.

For updates,  the Mayor encouraged residents to call 422-5150. He asked residents to remain in their homes, that city hall has had reports of trees still falling around town and conditions remain dangerous. He said de-energized wires could become re-energized and urged caution.

Karen Pasquale  Assistant to the Mayor issued this statement to WPCNR: “There are road blockages and impairments across the City. Every neighborhood in the City has felt the impacts of this storm. “

Paula Piekos who has been driving around the southern part of town reports that as of 12-30 P.M. there appear to be no traffic signals functioning above Rosedale Avenue on up Mamaroneck Avenue. She reports  Rosedale is closed at Mamaroneck Avenue and at North Street.  Ridgeway is closed between Old Mamaroneck Road and  Mamaroneck, and Gedney Way is closed between Old Mamaroneck Road and Mamaroneck Avenue. Driving down Homeside Lane to Sammis Lane to return to the Rocky Dell area, she observed devasting tree damage to homes and property.

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WPCNR THE POWER NEWS.  From Con Edison. October 30, 2012–issued 1 A.M.  E.D.T.:

More than 650,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County lost electrical power due to Hurricane Sandy, Con Edison said early today.

“This is the largest storm-related outage in our history,” said Con Edison Senior Vice President for Electric Operations John Miksad. The previous record was more than 200,000 customers affected by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Miksad cautioned crews must assess damage prior making to repairs, but early today low-lying areas of New York City and Westchester County remained under water.

Challenges include, for example, more than 200 wires down on Staten Island. In Westchester County, more than 180 roads are closed.

Restoring electrical service to underground equipment demands cleaning all components of sea water, drying and testing to make it safe to restore power.

Here are the latest outages as of 1 a.m.Tuesday:

Manhattan: 193,000 customers
Westchester County: 158,000
Queens: 74,000
Brooklyn: 71,000
Staten Island: 76,000
Bronx: 38,000

Safety for customers and Con Edison employees is the company’s No. 1 priority.

Con Edison restores lines that will return power to the most customers as quickly as possible, and then moves on to restore small groups and individual customers who are still without power.

To report outages, Customers can report downed power lines, outages, and check service restoration status by computer or mobile device at www.conEd.com. They also can call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, it is helpful if customers have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power. Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

The company is advising its customers to pay close attention to reports from city and municipal officials. Con Edison will continue to provide updates through the media as the storm moves closer. Important information will be posted on the company’s website, www.conEd.com.

For instructions on how to report an outage, click here: http://bcove.me/6sx1yox5

Con Edison offers the following safety tips:

• If you see downed electrical wires, do not go near them. Treat all downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by tree limbs, leaves or water.
  
• Report all downed wires to Con Edison and your local police department immediately. If a power line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.
  
• If your power goes out, turn off all lights and appliances to prevent overloaded circuits when power is restored.
  
• Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios are working. Also, make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on power outages can be heard on most local radio and television stations.
  
• Avoid opening your freezer to see if food is still frozen. Every time you open the door, room-temperature air enters and speeds the thawing process. Most fully loaded freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 36 to 48 hours; half-full freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours.

The company is in constant communication with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and company personnel are working closely with city and municipal emergency officials.

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WPCNR WEATHER SCOPE. From Consolidated Edison. October 29, 2012:

As of 9:50 P.M., Consolidated Edison’s Storm Map notes that 65 Outages have been reported in the White Plains city limits area, affecting approximately 12,000 persons.

WPCNR observes that winds on the backside of Hurricane Sandy have kicked in beginning to deliver more punishment to trees that are flailing in the winds, estimated by WPCNR to be close to 50 miles an hour and gusting stronger.

 Con Edison has begun the process of shutting off electrical service to a portion of Lower Manhattan, a move that will protect both company and customer equipment, and allow for quicker restoration after Hurricane Sandy passes.

The company cut service to two areas. The first is bounded by the following streets: Frankfort Street to the north; William Street to the west; Wall Street to the south; and the East River. The second area is bounded by Broadway to the west; Wall Street to the north; and the southern tip of Manhattan.

The areas include about 6,500 customers. Con Edison reported that as of 7 p.m. there were more than 156,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County without electrical service due to Hurricane Sandy.

Sea water from Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge threatened to flood the underground electrical delivery system, prompting the shutdown. The shutdown will help avoid extensive damage to company and customer equipment, and allow company crews to restore power to customers more quickly.

The company will have to wait for flood waters to recede before workers can enter some facilities to assess damage. As equipment is inspected and determined safe to energize, the highest priority for restoration will be given to critical customer facilities that have an impact on the general public such as mass transit, hospitals, police and fire stations, and sewage and water-pumping stations.

Con Edison continues to monitor underground electrical delivery equipment in other areas of Manhattan south of 36th Street, along with section of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, for flooding and possible shutdowns.

Customers can report downed power lines, outages, and check service restoration status by computer or mobile device at www.conEd.com. They also can call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, it is helpful if customers have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power. Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

The company is advising its customers to pay close attention to reports from city and municipal officials. Con Edison will continue to provide updates through the media as the storm moves closer. Important information will be posted on the company’s website, www.conEd.com.

For instructions on how to report an outage, click here: http://bcove.me/6sx1yox5

 Con Edison offers the following safety tips:

• If you see downed electrical wires, do not go near them. Treat all downed wires as if they are live. Never attempt to move or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by tree limbs, leaves or water.
  
• Report all downed wires to Con Edison and your local police department immediately. If a power line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.
  
• If your power goes out, turn off all lights and appliances to prevent overloaded circuits when power is restored.
  
• Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios are working. Also, make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on power outages can be heard on most local radio and television stations.
  
• Avoid opening your freezer to see if food is still frozen. Every time you open the door, room-temperature air enters and speeds the thawing process. Most fully loaded freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 36 to 48 hours; half-full freezers will keep food frozen for approximately 24 hours.

The company is in constant communication with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and company personnel are working closely with city and municipal emergency officials.

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 WPCNR WEATHER SCOOP. From the Westchester County Department of  Communications. October 28, 2012:

In response to the expected arrival of Hurricane Sandy, Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino Sunday took a number of actions to safeguard the public in the days ahead, including suspending Bee-Line bus service as of 9 p.m. Sunday evening.

Astorino’s order suspends all Bee-Line and Para-Transit service until further notice. The county executive also ordered that:

· All Westchester County Parks close as of tonight and remain closed on Monday and Tuesday. This includes the County Center in White Plains and the Playland Ice Casino in Rye.

· The county-owned Bronx River Parkway will be closed beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday. Other parkways in Westchester are under the jurisdiction of New York State.

“During Hurricane Irene, early closures of these parkways turned out to be one of the best decisions we made to protect the public,” Astorino said. “I have ordered the closure of the entire length of the Bronx River Parkway and all other parkways are subject to closure at any time.”

The Westchester County Airport remains open, however virtually all flights have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday. Travelers should keep in touch with their airlines for updated information.

Astorino said the county has been in close contact with all Westchester municipalities throughout the weekend. A series of conference calls was held to share information and receive requests for assistance.

In communities along the Long Island Sound, Westchester has provided 2,000 sandbags, Astorino said. In addition, another 3,000 sandbags were provided to Yonkers and 1,000 to Cortlandt. In Lewisboro, the county provided Variable Message Signs and Mount Kisco was provided with a generator.

Astorino noted that municipal officials in Mamaroneck and Rye had recommended that people in flood-prone areas leave tonight. Shelters in those communities and several others were being opened tonight.

“Let me reiterate that this is a very powerful storm and I urge residents to take all necessary precautions and stay inside. People should have several days of water, food and other emergency supplies on hand in the event of extended power outages,” he said.

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The Government’s Complaint alleges that WMC billed Medicaid for millions of dollars of outpatient services at its mental health center that lacked the core documentation required by Medicaid regulations. The settlement, approved Wednesday in Manhattan federal court by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, requires WMC to pay $7 million in civil damages under the False Claims Act.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated: “Medicaid is a vital resource for people who suffer from physical and mental illnesses and related conditions. We have absolutely no tolerance for those who fail to comply with the program, particularly in these lean times when budgets are stretched thin and belts are being tightened. We will continue to work with our federal and state partners to protect the Medicaid program against waste, fraud and abuse.”

According to the Complaint filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, here are the details of what the Medical Center did:

WMC, a public hospital located in Valhalla, New York, is home to one of the largest public mental health facilities in the County, the Behavioral Health Center (the “BHC”). The BHC operates as a hospital-based mental health and hygiene provider licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (“OMH”) and the New York State Department of Health (“DOH”).

The BHC also provides outpatient behavioral health services to children, adolescents and adults who are mentally ill or suffer from psychiatric or emotional conditions.

Medicaid, which reimburses providers for the cost of care for its recipients, paid millions of dollars in reimbursement for claims submitted by WMC for these mental health services. As such, it must comply with Medicaid regulations. Those regulations expressly require that mental health outpatient clinics maintain certain documents, including progress notes and treatment plans, to ensure that billed services are actually provided, and that the providers are in compliance with the regulations.

From August 2001 through June 2010, WMC repeatedly billed Medicaid for outpatient mental health services without having the core documentation required by the Medicaid regulations in order to bill for those services.

Further, WMC management knew for years that the outpatient mental health clinics were missing documentation.

Until at least June 2010, WMC failed to take any but the most insignificant steps to address the problem, or to conduct any systematic audit of the clinics’ records.

WMC also did not return funds it received from the Medicaid program despite knowing it had been substantially overpaid as a result of having billed for services for which it lacked proper documentation. As a result of this billing fraud, WMC was paid millions of dollars by the Medicaid program to which it was not entitled.

Under Medicaid, the federal and state governments share the costs of care for its recipients. Accordingly, WMC is also entering into a settlement agreement today with New York State that provides for the payment from WMC to the state of its share of the Medicaid funds.

*                      *                      *

The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Mr. Bharara established theCivil Frauds Unit in March 2010 to bring renewed focus and additional resources to combating financial fraud.

The Civil Frauds Unit works in coordination with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, on which Mr. Bharara serves as a Co-Chair of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

Mr. Bharara praised the audit work of the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General that was instrumental to the federal investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heidi A. Wendel and Mara E. Trager are in charge of the case.