Irene cleanup continues

Irene has come and gone and most would agree, the damage could have been worse. While many residents were still without power the last week after trees and power lines toppled over, during and after the storm the East Meadow Fire Department and government officials stepped in to keep residents safe.

“The East Meadow Fire Department responded to well over 60 calls during the height of storm activities, and it is a testament to each and every member of their commitment to helping out neighbors and community in its time of need,” Chief Carl L. Pugliese said.

Between Saturday, Aug. 27 at 11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 28 at 12 p.m., all seven companies of the East Meadow Fire Department stayed at headquarters on storm emergency standby, said Chief Pugliese, and they continued to remain busy until late Sunday night.

During the storm, the department also set up an emergency operations center and was in contact with other emergency centers run by the Sixth Battalion and Nassau County.

Following the storm, the department continued to assist residents while Legislator Norma Gonsalves stood up to LIPA on behalf of Nassau County residents. As of Thursday, Sept. 1, 1,600 East Meadow households were still without power, she said.

“My office is being inundated with phone calls from people who cannot get a straight answer from LIPA or even get a representative on the phone,” said Gonsalves. “This is unacceptable.”

While residents recognize power restoration is a large task, most are upset by the limited information provided, she said. Gonsalves is now calling upon LIPA to prepare a mass disaster communications plan for future events to ensure that this situation does not occur again.

LIPA Spokesperson Mark Gross confirmed that as of Monday, Sept. 5, the power has been restored to all homes and businesses affected by Hurricane Irene. “We understand why our customers were frustrated,” he said, but emphasized that more than 500,000 outages were repaired, many caused by downed trees.

“Hundreds of thousands of LIPA customers showed extraordinary patience as we repaired damage left behind by Hurricane Irene,” states the LIPA website.

“Damage from the storm still remains, so LIPA crews and contractors will continue to be out in many communities making repairs that will strengthen and enhance Long Island’s electrical system.” If you are still experiencing problems, LIPA suggests you reports the outage by calling 1-800-490-0075.