LIPA Urges Long Island to Act Now
Prepare for the Height of the Hurricane Season
Uniondale, N.Y.—August 1, 2007—As Long Island enters the height of the
2007 hurricane season, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) reminds area
residents and businesses to take time now to anticipate a storm and be prepared.
Two weeks ago, Long Island was hit with a sudden and violent storm that in
select areas, dropped 4-5 inches of rain in a very short period of time. Many
local roads were flooded and people were unable to conduct normal routines.
Since the storm, which caused over 60,000 outages, was no where near the
intensity of a hurricane, it should be an eye opener for Long Island. Long
Island needs to prepare for a hurricane.
“During the last several years the Long Island region has been spared the
destructive power of a hurricane,” said CEO/President Richard M. Kessel. “We
have all seen the tremendous damage and resulting tragedy inflicted on
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama by Hurricane Katrina. Long Island’s good
luck will not last, so LIPA and its customers must continue to prepare for the
worst while hoping for the best.”
"Though the American Red Cross has undertaken many proactive initiatives to
better prepare Long Island this hurricane season, it is ultimately the
responsibility of all Long Islanders to evaluate their own level of
preparedness," said Frank Cassano, CEO of the Nassau Red Cross.
"KeySpan and its employees are ready to react to weather and system
conditions that could challenge our ability to supply LIPA's 1.1 million
electric customers and KeySpan's 2.6 million gas customers," said Robert B.
Catell, Chairman and CEO of KeySpan. "Our employees have been trained across the
company in emergency preparedness on both the electric and gas sides and are
committed to ensuring that Long Islanders have a reliable energy supply."
“LIPA and KeySpan have continuously recognized the need to plan and exercise
for a significant storm event. After Katrina, no one needs to be reminded of the
potential devastation a hurricane can bring. None the less, it is very difficult
to prepare when the sun is shining. This drill proves that these essential
utilities will be ready, come rain or shine,” said Michael Balboni, Deputy
Secretary for Public Safety.
To prepare for heavy storm activity LIPA has implemented a special storm
hardening program that will invest an additional $25 million per year over the
next 20 years ($500 million) on targeted efforts to help protect the Island’s
electric system against severe storm damage. As the storm hardening program
moves forward in the years ahead, Long Island still needs to be prepared for
wide-scale outages if the Island gets hit with a hurricane this season, which is
predicted to be more active in the Atlantic basin than previous years.
The storm hardening expenditures is in addition to the $2.5 billion LIPA has
invested over the last nine years on transmission and distribution system
upgrades and improvements, and will be in addition to LIPA’s annual capital
improvement expenditures of about $200 million.
In preparation for a storm LIPA begins tracking major storms days before they
near Long Island. As a major storm, or hurricane, approaches the region, LIPA
takes steps to respond quickly to storm-related outages.
For customer service, “21st Century”, an automatic reporting system that can
process more than 100,000 customer calls per hour can be activated.
Automatically, outages are electronically recorded and reported to system
operators to start the restoration process by assigning a job ticket to the
reported outage.
In addition to the line crews, all employees have a second job if a major
storm strikes and are trained for storm emergency assignments, and personnel
work extended shifts around the clock to complete all service restorations as
quickly as possible.
LIPA’s Storm Center at
http://ww.lipower.org/stormcenter is available 24/7 for updates, outage
information and storm restoration progress reports.
To help minimize storm damage to LIPA’s electric system, LIPA’s Forestry
program works throughout the year to identify and trim tree limbs in rights of
way and along easements that could potentially cause outages during or after a
storm. Additionally, customers are urged to have trees on private property
surveyed independently to be assured that their trees or bushes are not
experiencing dangerous and weakening rot. Tree limbs that come in contact with
electric lines remain the major cause of customer outages during storms,
accounting for over 90% of all service disruptions. For more information on
LIPA’s Forestry program, please visit LIPA’s Web site at
http://www.lipower.org/community.
Well in advance of a hurricane or tropical storm reaching Long Island, LIPA’s
customers are encouraged to follow these storm preparation recommendations to
help ensure their family’s safety and comfort:
- Develop a family plan for survival and property protection. Rehearse the
plan so everyone knows what to do.
- Have flashlights, battery-operated radios and extra batteries on hand.
Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh.
- Know the hurricane risks in your area. Learn the storm surge history and
elevation of your area. Learn the location of official shelters or make
plans for a local hotel or motel. Be prepared to take alternate routes to
these locations as main streets maybe closed.
- Learn safe routes inland away from the Ocean or LI Sound.
- If your residence is in a potential flood or storm surge zone, be
prepared to evacuate when officials recommend it.
- Arrange now for elderly and others with special needs such as those who
depend on electric life-support devices. Alert LIPA customer service
(1-800-490-0025) about these support devices.
- Inventory personal property; safely secure all records and valuable
documents in a watertight place.
- Have material available to protect your doors and windows. Boarding or
shuttering windows is significantly more effective than taping windows which
barely strengthens the window and will not protect at all against flying
debris.
- Put together a family hurricane evacuation kit that includes bottled
water, bedding and clothing, including sleeping bags and pillows, and
appropriate prescription medicines.
- Ensure that enough non-perishable food and water supplies are on hand.
NOAA suggests 1 gallon of water per person per day.
- Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
- Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed of dead wood.
- Determine where to move a boat in an emergency.
- Provide for pets.
If a hurricane or major tropical storm damages the region, Long Islanders are
strongly cautioned to stay away from downed power lines. Immediately after the
storm, outages will be evident to LIPA via its computerized control systems.
LIPA’s computer systems automatically detect neighborhood service interruptions
and begin the restoration process by alerting systems operators of the outage.
However, should anyone notice a downed electric line or experience a single
service interruption, call 1-800-490-0075. In addition, downed wires might end
up covered by tree limbs or leaves, so be careful when letting children play
outside after a storm.
For more information on hurricane preparedness, as well as links to weather
sites and emergency response agencies visit LIPA’s Web site at
http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter. |
