A superstorm that sent water rushing onto city streets has left a large swath of the lower part of Manhattan without power.

Consolidated Edison spokesman Chris Olert said Monday evening that the power was out for most of Manhattan south of 26th Street.

On the east side, the power outage extended from 29th Street south. There were some scattered areas that still had electricity.

Olert said the damage stemmed from flooding and the probable loss of a transmission feeder.

The power outage was separate from a planned power cut that Con Ed did in certain lower Manhattan neighborhoods to protect underwater systems from flood damage.

Olert said there were 250,000 customers without power in Manhattan. A customer represents a single meter, so the number of people actually affected is likely higher.

(AP)