LIPA AND NATIONAL GRID RESTORE SERVICE TO NEARLY 600,000 CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE SANDY; PROJECTS MOST CUSTOMERS WILL HAVE RESTORATION BY NOVEMBER 7th
(Uniondale, N.Y.) – LIPA and National Grid have restored service to approximately 600,000 customers affected by Hurricane Sandy, meaning well over half the one million customers who lost power due to the devastating storm are now restored.
Tens of thousands of customers are being restored each day and LIPA expects to have over 700,000 customers restored by the end of the day on Sunday, November 4th.
By end of the day Wednesday, November 7th, 90% of all LIPA customers whose homes and businesses were affected by power outages should be restored. Additionally, those customers in the most severely damaged areas in and around Brookville, St. James and Port Jefferson should expect restoration in up to another week or more.
Latest damage reports from the field have confirmed significant widespread damage from Hurricane Sandy, the likes of which has never been experienced on Long Island. As a result, LIPA currently estimates that there are up to 100,000 customers from the most severely flooded areas whose homes and businesses may currently be unable to receive power. LIPA is working with local authorities in these communities to determine whether and when these homes and businesses will be fit to safely receive electric service.
Restoration efforts continue to give priority to critical health facilities, areas of public safety, schools, and key components of the electric system. Power has now been restored to all of the hospitals that are able to receive power. The substations that power Long Island’s electric system have also been restored. This is significant because it is these electrical facilities that allow us to bring the power to the local neighborhoods.
“We know the service LIPA provides is vital to restoring normalcy to the lives of our customers and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said Michael Hervey, LIPA Chief Operating Officer.
Hervey added, “LIPA and other outside crews are working around the clock, seven days a week, to restore service as safely and quickly as the situation allows, we continue to request and receive additional critical support resources, with personnel arriving each day.”
Currently there are approximately 8,000 people supporting the restoration effort including over 3,800 high voltage and tree trim crews working on the LIPA system. More than 2,000 additional high voltage and tree trim crews are arriving today.
Customers can stay tuned to local media for updated storm information or visit LIPA’s Storm Central at www.lipower.org. Safety and preparedness are primary concerns in a major storm, and LIPA and National Grid are urging customers to use extreme caution in the storm damage areas.
LIPA and National Grid offer the following tips for customers during this power outage:
- To find a shelter near you, text SHELTER and your zip code to #43362 (4FEMA). Or, you can reach the American Red Cross at 1.877.733.2767.
- We are aware that well-intentioned customers are taking it upon themselves to clear blocked roads and remove downed trees. Working around potentially live electric wires is extremely dangerous. Please do not make a difficult situation worse by compromising your own safety. We ask you to be patient and wait for experienced crews to arrive.
- Never touch downed power lines, and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires. To report downed power lines call 1-800-490-0075.
- All LIPA and National Grid employees involved in electric restoration carry identification badges, and almost all restoration work can be completed without entering your home. For your own safety, please do not allow anyone into your home without first verifying identification.
- Stay out of flooded basements, even if the power is out. Stay clear from the breaker box if it’s in a flooded basement.
- If you use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to only operate it outdoors. Before operating generators, be sure to disconnect from the electric system by shutting off the main breaker located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could jeopardize the safety of crews working to restore power.
- Take appropriate precautions when removing downed trees, digging or drilling into the ground, or hiring someone to repair damaged sidewalks to avoid hitting natural gas lines and buried electric cables. Calling 811 before you start your work is a FREE SERVICE and can help you avoid costly and dangerous damages that result from hitting an unmarked utility line. Whenever you are planning to dig, even if repairing a sidewalk or removing a downed tree, call 811 before you start your work. It’s New York State law. Additional damages will hamper restoration efforts and put you, the crew and the public at risk. Damaged utility lines can further burden emergency service personnel who are already pushed to the limit during this difficult time.
- New York area telephone networks have experienced their own service issues due to the storm. If you have trouble reaching us on 1-800-490-0075 or 1-631-755-6900 please be patient and try again. Or use our other communications options to report an outage such as texting “OUT” to 695472 (MyLIPA) or online at www.lipower.org including on mobile devices.
LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric provider, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered. In 2011, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State for frequency and duration of service interruptions. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at a http://www.lipower.org
