Just days after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas and Louisiana, Hurricane Irma swept through the Caribbean, leaving destruction in its wake. Now, with Irma’s sights set on Florida and Jose on its heels, our hearts and thoughts are with the people who have been, and could be, affected by these natural disasters.
We also recognize that Long Islanders and Rockaway residents are no strangers to the heartbreaking aftermath of a hurricane. Nearly five years ago, Super Storm Sandy left members of our community without homes, cars and cherished belongings. These types of storms–Sandy, Harvey, Irma and others–are a somber reminder that the peak of hurricane season is upon us. And because September is emergency preparedness month, having a disaster plan should be a priority for both our customers and the utility.
What we’ve done:
Since the creation of PSEG Long Island in 2014, and with Sandy’s devastation top of mind, infrastructure improvement and reliability projects have been two of our biggest urgencies. With the help of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), $729 million of federal recovery funds were secured for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) through an agreement between Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. The funds will allow us to replace more than 1,000 miles of mainline circuit facilities; elevate and protect flood-prone substations; and install innovative automation that isolates faults, all of which will allow us to limit the number of customers impacted by an outage and significantly speed-up their restoration if power is lost.
Most recently, we started work in the Towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay—specifically Seaford and Massapequa—to harden the energy grid. Here, we’re replacing existing wires, installing new and more durable poles, and replacing switching equipment.
But our work to improve reliability is only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to emergency preparedness. We, with the help of multiple other businesses and organizations in our service territory, are here to ensure our customers have the tools they need to be ready and stay safe.
What you can do:
We suggest our customers familiarize themselves and bookmark our mobile-friendly website and outage map. The outage map allows you to report an outage; and view outage locations, expected restoration time and number of customers affected. Information is updated every 15 minutes.
We also urge customers to register for MyAlerts, a texting/e-mailing service that provides outage and restoration updates right to your cellphone. You can also text us to report an outage, and check the status of an outage.
To register:
- Text the letters OUT to PSEGLI (773454) and press SEND.
- You will be prompted for type of outage – NO LIGHTS or PARTIAL LIGHTS.
- Reply/text back your choice.
- You will be prompted with a confirmation text.
For immediate status updates:
- Text the letters STAT back to PSEGLI (773454) and press SEND.
Connecting with us on social media is another crucial way to receive up-to-date storm information. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for alerts about storms and outages, and advice for preparing and staying safe. Our customer service representatives are available to answer questions and receive outage reports, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Additional resources:
A year ago, we partnered with the United Way of Long Island, and 211, to create BeReadyLI, an all-encompassing online resource with tips for storm prep; news and alerts about storms in your area, and information specific to those with special needs. The site also offers resources for kids to better understand evacuation plans, family emergency kits and more.
And, don’t miss our blog post from the start of hurricane season with additional resources to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature sends our way.
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