LI Must Prepare for the Height of Hurricane Season
Dead & Rotten Trees a Major Concern
Removing Dead & Dying Trees Can Lower Storm Damage & Outages, Save Lives
& Prevent Injuries
Bellmore, NY – September 7, 2006 – Tropical Depression Ernesto’s remnants hit Long Island with tropical storm-force wind gusts as high as 57 miles per hour that brought down trees and tree branches island-wide. The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) said that hundreds of trees came down during the storm, damaging homes and property, and bringing down power lines and causing outages in record numbers.
During Ernesto’s 15-hour visit, some 128,000 LIPA customers lost electric service that took about two days to restore completely. A Category 3 hurricane could cause 750,000 to one million outages that could take 15 to 30 days to completely restore. Is Long Island ready for such a catastrophic event?
“Ernesto packed quite a punch, but we recovered quickly,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “By comparison, a category three hurricane would devastate Long Island’s electric system; thousands of residential homes and commercial buildings would sustain severe damage; coastal areas would flood, and flooding would occur well inland according to
storm-surge projections.
Mr. Kessel said that Ernesto uncovered a major vulnerability on Long Island – dead and rotting trees. He said that hundreds of trees and parts of trees came down during the storm, inflicting major property damage and causing thousands of power outages. Mr. Kessel called on Long Islanders to immediately inspect their trees to identify dead and
rotting trees or branches that should be removed as quickly as possible.
“As we saw with Ernesto, trees will come down and cause property damage and power outages,” said Mr. Kessel. “LIPA trims trees along about 1,800 miles of power line circuit miles per year, which means that over the last eight years we’ve trimmed about 14,400 circuit miles in total. We’ve also removed hundreds of dead trees from our rights of way.
“It’s important for property owners to do the same,” said Mr. Kessel. “Property owners need to inspect the trees on their property for dead branches and signs of disease, rot and bug infestations that can make them vulnerable to being knocked down by hurricane or tropical storm-force winds. And if they have not done so already they need to do
it now, because the storm next time could be a lot worse than Ernesto.”
“Since Ernesto hit Long Island, we’ve also checked some of our substations along the southern tier of Nassau County and many of our transmission and distribution lines throughout the island to look for any undetected storm-related damage that needs attention now so we’re ready for the next storm,” said Mr. Kessel.
“Homeowners and businesses on Long Island should do the same thing,” said Mr. Kessel. “Ernesto could have caused some structural damage that may go undetected unless roofs, siding, windows and doors are checked carefully.
“Now is the time to prepare for a hurricane – not when it’s about to hit,” said Mr. Kessel.
Noting that the Town of Hempstead removed some 157 trees knocked down by Ernesto from town roads, Town Supervisor Kate Murray said: “Hempstead Town will continue to clear trees from town roadways, remove obstructions from storm drains, and work to safeguard residents during hurricane-season storms and throughout the year.
“Residents can help the town and LIPA by removing cars from roadways during major storms, allowing crews to do their work. And neighbors should report downed trees that impact power service and block roadways immediately, and please be patient as we serve our constituents as quickly as possible,” said Supervisor Murray.
“It’s important for Long Islanders to know how to be prepared in case we are faced with a hurricane or other type of disaster,” said Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. “Planning ahead will help protect your family and your property.”
“The recent storm, though not a hurricane, shows how important it is to be prepared since we have several weeks left in this year’s hurricane season,” said Assemblyman David G. McDonough.
Mr. Kessel noted that Long Island has not experienced a category three hurricane since the “Long Island Express,” or great hurricane of ’38, roared through, and that Hurricane Gloria, only a Category 1 storm, hit the island 21 years ago. “We’ve had a lot of development on Long Island, especially coastal development, in the last 68 years,” said Mr. Kessel. “And, our suburban forest is bigger, older and more stressed by previous storms too.”
Massive island-wide destruction would result from a Category 3 hurricane largely due to extremely high winds and prolonged ground-soaking rains that bring down trees and a huge tidal surge could flood the south shore of Long Island as far inland as Sunrise Highway.
According to the Saffir-Simpson Scale, a Cat-3 hurricane can pack winds of 111 to 130 miles per hour. In addition to the storm’s wind velocity, the forward speed and/or dwell time of a hurricane can intensify the storm’s impact.
While the probability of a Category 3 hurricane making a direct hit on Long Island is statistically slim, it is very possible for either a Category 2 or 1 hurricane to make a direct hit on Long Island.
A Category 2 hurricane, with winds ranging from 96mph to 110mph, could cause an estimated 500,000 to 750,000 outages that could take about 10 to 15 days to restore. A Category 1 hurricane, with winds ranging from 74mph to 95mph, could put 250,000 to 500,000 customers out of service for approximately six days. And a Tropical Storm with winds ranging from 39mph to 73mph could cause service disruptions for 100,000 to 250,000 customers for up to three days.
Plan – Prepare – Practice
LIPA and emergency planners island-wide stress the need for everyone to Plan, Prepare and Practice for a hurricane emergency, or prolonged electric service disruption.
LIPA also underscores the need to take action before, during and after a major hurricane or storm, when electric service will be difficult to restore because of the extensive reconstruction work that will be needed to restore downed power lines and damaged equipment, and damage to roads and buildings that would hamper recovery efforts.
“LIPA has a detailed recovery plan in place, and periodic drills are conducted to make sure that everyone who has a restoration job to perform knows that job and how to do it successfully,” said Mr. Kessel. “The primary goal of that plan – the Code Red Plan – is to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“Line crews and other personnel will work around the clock, in shifts as long as 16 hours, to return service as soon as possible, said Mr. Kessel, “but, the electric service personnel who are out in the elements doing the heavy work of restoring the system must do it as safely as possible to avoid life-threatening injury.
“Safety first is always the primary order of the day,” underscored Mr. Kessel.
Before The Storm
The time to plan, prepare and practice for the possible disruption of normal daily life is long before a storm approaches.
Steps to take include: devising a plan that will keep family members safe during a storm; deciding if it will be necessary to evacuate possible flood areas along the coast and how to evacuate safely; make provisions for pets; plan for special medical needs and for senior members of the family, or older neighbors; distribute emergency contact
numbers to family members; assemble a disaster supplies kit; check insurance coverage for flood and wind damage; inventory household items with photographs; prepare property to withstand the storm’s fury as best as possible; write down important telephone numbers; and put the plan and travel maps in a kit for quick, easy access.
During The Storm
As a major hurricane, or weather event, approaches, it’s vitally important to listen to weather advisories and to be prepared to take action.
Modern weather forecasting provides the opportunity to prepare for a major hurricane days in advance. That’s when it’s important to: check home kit for flashlights (avoid using candles which can be a fire hazard), portable radio and TV, cell phone chargers (especially ones that can be used in an auto to recharge cell phones), extra batteries; adequate food and water for each family member for at least three to five days; get cash (ATM’s can lose power during and after a storm); secure yard items; put up window protection; unplug major appliances; prepare to evacuate early if necessary; and turn off water and electricity when leaving. Also, fuel vehicles in advance of a potential storm since it may be difficult to find a station open or able to pump gasoline immediately after a hurricane. In coastal areas, move vehicles not needed for evacuation to high ground to minimize the potential for damage from flooding. If instructed to leave – leave. The temptation to “tough it out” can put lives at risk – yours and the personnel who may be sent on an otherwise avoidable rescue mission.
After The Storm
Immediately after the storm passes it’s important to follow certain precautions to ensure the safety of one’s family and neighbors.
Some of the basic steps to follow include: inspect homes for damage and take pictures; if a portable generator is being used, keep it outside and have a licensed electrician connect it only to major appliances. (Never connect a generator to the main circuit breaker, since it could back feed electricity into the electric grid which could seriously
injure electric service line personnel who are working to restore power); avoid all downed wires, even a telephone or cable wire can be in contact with a power line some distance away and it could be a live wire; as power is being restored, conserve and turn on only necessary appliances; and monitor local media for recovery announcements and power
restoration updates.
LIPA’s Web Site Offers a Wealth of Information
LIPA’s Web site, www.lipower.org, offers a wealth of information to help organize and implement a disaster preparedness plan. It’s also good to have one in place for a business. In addition to the storm preparation sections contained on the site, links are also available to other resources such as the American and local Red Cross chapters, the
National Hurricane Center, local news organizations, and state emergency response sites.
Make Emergency Planning a Family Project
The best way to plan for an emergency is to get the entire family involved. Each person should be given a role to play with very specific responsibilities. Mom and Dad can take care of the big items, but the children can take care of their own personal items and family pets, for example.
“The key question that everyone should be prepared to answer is, ‘Am I prepared to survive a natural disaster that could leave me and my family without power and normal conveniences for at least a week?'” said Mr. Kessel. “If the answer is NO, then there’s an urgent need to prepare. If the answer is yes, then be a good neighbor and help a senior in the neighborhood, or someone else who could use help to prepare.
“Being prepared not only brings peace of mind as a storm approaches,” said Mr. Kessel, “being prepared can save lives and lessen the stress experienced during the storm recovery phase, which helps everyone cope with an extraordinary situation.”
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.
Additional material can be found on our Web site at
http://www.lipower.org/newscenter/pr/2006/090706_trees.html
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
