After the Storm

Electric service is important, but nothing is more important than your safety. Be sure to pay attention to any announcements from local officials and don’t travel until it is safe to do so. Anytime there is an outage, our goal is to get your power back on as quickly, and also as safely, as possible.

For the safety of our workforce, full damage assessment and restoration activities cannot begin until the storm has passed and it is safe to send crews out into the communities we serve.

Here are some points you and your family should follow:

• Any downed wire should be treated as if it is a live electric wire. Keep people away from it and do not touch it. Any wire can become energized if it has come in contact with an electric wire somewhere along the system. Report it immediately to LIPA at 800-490-0075.
• A fallen tree can be a tempting playground for children. Keep children away from all storm debris, particularly fallen trees. Electric wires will often be entangled in debris, and may be hidden by it. Also, puddles of water, ponds, and metal fences could be in contact with a wire that is not in view. Even the ground near a fallen, live electric wire can become energized.
• If you’re cleaning storm debris, don’t pile it in the road or near utilities poles and equipment. This will only impede our crews and other emergency responders.
• If a power line falls on your car you are at risk of electrical shock - stay inside until a trained person removes the wire. If you are in danger and must leave the car, open a window and jump directly to the ground. Avoid contact with any metal part of the car.
• Don’t use charcoal to cook or provide heat indoors – it gives off deadly carbon monoxide gas. Make sure all combustible-fuel space heaters are used with proper ventilation, and never use your gas or propane oven as a source of heat.
• Disconnect appliances, equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. Power surges can damage equipment such as computers, and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or heating system, when power comes back on.
• If you have a backup generator, be sure to read our safety tips here.
• Avoid any unnecessary travel, especially by car, as traffic signals will stop working during an outage. When walking outside, wear hard sole shoes to protect your feet.