by Jerry Burke
Among those most severely affected were residents north of Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead. A little before 5:30 p.m., a loud thud followed by a flickering of lights and a loss of power alarmed many. "With it being Sept. 11, I was a little jumpy to begin with," said one Marshall Ave. resident who raced to Hempstead Turnpike after hearing the sirens of fire trucks.
The main feed line, resting atop a utility pole across the street from Peter Tat-2 snapped in half. Witnesses said the live wire danced about for a few seconds, but that no one was in the vicinity.
The West Hempstead Fire Department, headquartered almost immediately across the street from the incident, closed off Hempstead Turnpike from Arden Blvd. to Mayfair Ave. to all non-commercial traffic, diverting it into the side streets.
Power was lost to all residents and businesses north of the Turnpike, from Blockbuster Video in the west and the Mobile Station on Westminster Rd. in the east.
Due to the overwhelming number of power outages across the island, LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel said the company had to call for reinforcements from as far as Detroit in order to get service back up and running. "It was a tough storm," said Kessel. "Because there weren't heavy rains, people didn't pay attention to it."
LIPA engineers arrived on the scene a few hours after the loss and had repaired the wire a little before 11 p.m.
