More Than 17K Without Power Monday As Blizzard Slams Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — As a blizzard continues to wallop Long Island with more than 20 inches of snow and wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour, more than 17,000 were without power on Monday morning, PSEG Long Island said.

According to the PSEG Long Island power outage map, as of 10: 51 a.m., there were 17,247 customers without power.

Elizabeth Flagler, communications manager for PSEG Long Island told Patch that the storm brought "significant snowfall and high winds across the territory. The system is performing well. The winds and snow have caused outages. PSEG Long Island has restored more than 14,000 customers since 3 p.m. yesterday. As expected, due to the high snowfall and poor travel conditions, there have been challenges getting around. Crews continue to respond safely and as quickly as possible. For safety reasons, field crews at times may be unable to make repairs during periods of high winds. As soon as the winds subside to safe levels, we will immediately focus on customer restoration."

PSEG Long Island also sent out an update, stating that the storm has downed trees, branches and wires, currently affecting 17,247 of 1.2 million electric customers across Long Island and the Rockaways.

Due to the multi-hour period of sustained high winds in the forecast, as well as the travel and rear-property access challenges associated with the snow, many outages may extend beyond 24 hours, PSEG Long Island said.

PSEG Long Island has more than 600 line workers, tree trimmers, surveyors and other field personnel to address outages. All other PSEG Long Island employees are also supporting the restoration efforts, including dispatching crews, staffing call centers, maintaining IT support systems and handling other logistics. In addition, about 290 mutual aid personnel arrived Sunday and are on site to help address outages Monday, PSEG Long Island said.

Crews will work safely and as quickly as possible, 24 hours a day in rotating 16-hour shifts, until all outages are restored, PSEG Long Island said.

Customers who report an outage will receive a Damage Assessment Message ETR. During the Damage Assessment phase, a customer reporting an outage may receive an "assessing conditions" message or see that on our online outage map. Customers will receive an Estimated Time of Restoration once the majority of the storm has passed and the extent of damage and outages is known, PSEG Long Island said

Customer safety:

• Downed wires should always be considered "live." Stay as far away as possible from them, and if possible keep others, children, and pets away from the wire. Do not drive over or stand near any downed wire. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour electric service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.
• Electric current passes easily through water or wet snow. If you encounter a pool of slush or standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.
• Never use a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.
• Click here for additional information on safety during storms.