Storm Recovery - Keeping Track - NYTimes.com A large effort to restore power across New York City was winding down on Monday. The Long Island Power Authority said that electricity was available to all but about 15 percent of its 39,000 customers on the Rockaway Peninsula and that it was now up to owners of homes and buildings to have electricians repair any saltwater damage to their internal electrical systems and certify that they are safe. In response to growing criticism from residents and elected officials over the utility's recovery efforts and communications with customers, the authority also said it had set up a temporary information center at Beach 108th Street, where customers can talk to company representatives and learn more about restoration efforts. Around the rest of the city, Consolidated Edison said it had restored power to all but about 1,600 customers in Queens and Brooklyn and on Staten Island. That figure does not include the 16,300 customers who still need to have their homes repaired and certified. The New York City Housing Authority said it would issue rent credits for tenants on their January bill for those days spent without electricity, heat or hot water, but the public advocate, Bill de Blasio, urged the authority to stop collecting rent now. "It is unacceptable to charge full rent for tenants who in many cases are still living in the dark," he said in a letter to the agency Monday. Nearly 7,000 tenants remained without electricity and more than 18,000 without heat and hot water. Across New York City, gas lines were shorter as a result of rationing, but many gas stations still did not have fuel to sell. Some station owners said that even when a shipment came, it was far smaller than they normally received. The Web site gasbuddy.com said that 41 percent of gas stations were reported to be selling fuel as of midday Monday, up from 24 percent on Friday. More than 6,000 students were expected to return to their normal classrooms Tuesday as the Education Department reopened 15 schools closed because of storm damage. Thirty-seven remain closed. The department said that as of Monday, all open schools had heat.