Power Loss Difficult For Parents: 'The Kids Were Terrified'

SHIRLEY, NY — With scores still without power after Tropical Storm Isaias, residents are sharing the stories of their struggle to survive without electricity during the heat of the summer.

Regina Willis of Shirley said she lost power at 1:36 p.m. Tuesday. "My husband was at work so we were without power for about seven hours before he hooked up the generator," she said. "The kids were terrified when the power went out. I stayed as calm as I could and went to get flashlights and battery operated candles. We made a game of it."

The biggest loss for her children was the internet, Willis said. "They just can’t live without it. So being terrified, to being bored quickly, happened," she said. "Luckily we had some movies stored in one of the iPads."

Although the kids cried at first, Willis and her children ultimately /played games for hours, she said.

When her husband finally got home from work he had to get fuel for the generator and assemble it, as it hadn't been used before, then hook it up to the refrigerator, and outlet, the air conditioner and microwave, she said. "There were extension cords everywhere in the house."

Finally, she said, the power came back on at around 11 p.m. "The kids were asleep so my husband and I unplugged everything and put the house back together," she said.

Still, Willis realizes that she didn't have to endure days without power, a reality so many other Long Islanders are facing.

"I feel terrible for the people still without power," she said. We are offering our generator to my mother because she is still without power. I think it might be for days — like with Hurricane Gloria. If I could help everyone during all this, I would."

Many residents have turned to social media to say that they have not been able to get through to PSEG Long Island for days.

"We are experiencing communications issues and are working with Verizon and other partners to resolve this matter as quickly as possible," a media representative for PSEG Long Island said.