LIPA Ready for Winter Storm
Extra Repair Crews Available to Respond
Call 1-800-490-0075 to Report Downed Power Lines
Uniondale, NY-February 13, 2007-Long Island is bracing for the first winter storm of the season. Snow is expected to fall across Long Island starting Tuesday night, followed by a mix of snow, freezing rain or sleet and high winds into Wednesday. As a result, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is anticipating the potential for electric outages
across Long Island.
LIPA has been monitoring the storm forecasts closely and is prepared to respond with extra repair crews and call center personnel working extended shifts as necessary to restore power.
“We’re monitoring the progress of this storm and have been making pre-storm preparations,” said LIPA CEO and President Richard M. Kessel. “We will have extra repair personnel available to respond to any outages that may be caused by the wet snow, high winds and possible icy conditions.”
Mr. Kessel noted that wet snow, high winds and possible ice can cause weakened trees and tree limbs to fall bringing down power lines and causing outages. Storm-related vehicular accidents can cause outages when cars and trucks skid off local roads and hit utility poles.
“Play it safe,” said Mr. Kessel. “Don’t go near any – let me underscore any – downed lines. You can never be sure if it’s a power line, phone line or cable TV line. But it could be energized by coming in contact with a power line.
 “Call LIPA at 1-800-490-0075 to report an outage or downed line and we’ll get a repair crew out as quickly as possible to make repairs,” Mr. Kessel said.
LIPA encourages customers to prepare for the possibility of a power outage by taking the following actions now:
* Have a battery-powered radio or TV available;
* Have flashlights and extra batteries readily accessible for all family
members;
* Have a supply of canned food with a manual can opener available;
* If you have an electric water pump, keep spare containers of water for cooking and washing;
* Keep a non-electronic phone in your home – phone lines often remain operational even during power outages;
* If you decide to use a standby generator, have it installed by a licensed electrician and never operate it inside your garage or home;
* If an outage occurs, disconnect appliances and sensitive electronic equipment to prevent any possible damage that could be caused by momentary power spike that could occur when service is restored.
For additional storm preparedness information, links to weather sites and emergency response agencies, and LIPA’s real-time storm outage reports go to www.lipower.org.
LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to over 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. In terms of customers served, LIPA is the 3rd largest municipal electric utility in the nation
and the 6th largest in terms of electricity delivered. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island electric generating assets.
LIPA Contact Information:
Media Relations: (516) 719-9892
Media Pager: (516) 525-LIPA
media.relations@lipower.org
LIPA News Center
http://www.lipower.org/newscenter
LIPA Storm Center
http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter
