Sakibou Aveya, of Yonkers, N.Y., secured the entrance to the Union Square utility truck staging site. Photo: Emmanuel Felton.
The northwest corner of Union Square, at 17th Street and Broadway, on most Saturdays the domain of the popular Union Square Greenmarket, was overtaken by utility trucks from across the country. In addition to the now-familiar Con Edison trucks, there were trucks from ComEd, Duke Energy, Entergy, Georgia Power, Indiana Michigan Power, and Pepco.
The Corner of East 17th Street and Broadway. ComEd trucks traveled from Illinois, Entergy trucks from Louisiana. Photo: Emmanuel Felton
Sakibou Ayeva, of Yorkers, N.Y., has been driving to the site from Westchester County to provide security since Thursday. “[The trucks] are from Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, everywhere,” he said. “I don’t know what to say, I’m happy people from all of these places want to help us.” Ayeva said that Sunday would be his last day providing security for the site, which he expected would be dismantled soon after.
Con Edison’s Union Square staging area. Photo: Emmanuel Felton.
Two women, working for Chase Bank to alert passersby that ATMs in the area were back up, echoed Ayeva’s sentiments. Kionna McClary, originally from Atlanta, Ga. but now living in Harlem, was not surprised to see utility trucks from her home state, “We are just like that in the South, very caring and considerate,” she said. “This storm has even made New Yorkers kind and considerate.”
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