L.B. residents grow frustrated with LIPA, garbage

As lights slowly turn on, people express concerns over lack of power

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Update: On Friday evening, the city said that LIPA had restored 80 percent of the power in Long Beach.

More than a week after Hurricane Sandy left Long Beach in the dark, the Long Island Power Authority has restored about 40 percent of the city's power, city officials announced on Friday afternoon, though many homeowners who are still powerless continue to express frustration with the utility company.

On Friday, the city announced that the northern half of the West End received power, a day after it was announced that the power was back on in the President streets, from Roosevelt to Maple boulevards. The city also said that electricity was restored to homes from Roosevelt to Magnolia, and Washington to Lindell, from Park Avenue to Broadway.

“I just heard that my house on … Pacific Boulevard got power back around 5 p.m.,” Lisa Carman Cincotta told the Herald on Facebook Thursday.

According to the city, LIPA is restoring power to additional areas in Long Beach each day, though officials say that they will not be satisfied until power has returned to every single home. Additionally, representatives from National Grid are going door to door providing gas restoration information, and the Nassau County Health Department signed off on the city's water quality on Friday, saying that it was safe to use (residents must flush out their faucets for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes before drinking or using the water, and the city it still asking them to conserve).

Officials are instructing residents to have an eletrician examine their electrical wiring and devices if their homes sustained significant water damage. Residents are also being told to keep their main circuit breakers turned off since it will expedite the return of power to the city. The restored portions of the city are being supplied by portable temporary generators until permanent supply is established at the substations, according to the city.

The city said earlier this week that LIPA's damage assessment of Long Beach was complete, and that any houses that are deemed unsafe will have electric services disconnected by LIPA until the necessary repair work is completed.

If residents' homes had no water damage and were compromised during the storm, the city said that they may turn on their circuit breaker. If residents did have water damage and their electricity was compromised, they should have a licensed electrician come survey any damage before turning on their circuit breakers.

Residents, however, who are still without power continue to express frustration.

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