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Power Outages

Town of Smithtown responds to Sunday, July 1 storm

by Donna Deedy - July 3, 2019

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An unexpected storm hit Long Island on Sunday, causing severe damage to areas within the township of Smithtown. Destructive straight-line winds up to 60 m.p.h. caused downed power lines with uprooted, fallen and large tree limbs causing multiple power outages in the area. The Town of Smithtown was one of the three towns in Suffolk County to be hit the hardest.

All emergency response units are still working to clean up and address the needs of the community. Residents who are still without power, or with spoiled food and tree debris have a number of resources available to them to ensure quality of life is restored before the holiday weekend.

“It was a fun day with the whole family, that quickly became frightening. I ran up to Main Street, Kings Park after the storm passed to survey trees on top of cars, power outages and to assess the damage,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R). “I was very pleased to see Public Safety & the Highway Department were on scene shortly after… Residents without power, spoiled food to dispose of, or storm debris in need removal, are reminded to contact the appropriate departments so we can help get your home ready for the July 4th weekend. Please know we are working around the clock to cleanup in this unexpected event and we will not rest until your standard of living has been reinstated.”

Municipal Services Facility (MSF) will be open to residents who wish to dispose of spoiled food from the power outages, during regular business hours. Private garbage carters do not pick up waste on holidays, which includes Thursday, July 4. Residents with a larger than normal amount of garbage may wish to drop off solid waste to MSF which is located at 85 Old Northport Road in Kings Park. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. five days a week. No hazardous waste will be accepted.

Tree and debris removal operations have been underway since the storm passed Sunday afternoon. While the highway department’s fleet continues efforts to remove all “right-of-way” town tree debris, residents should be mindful to place neatly piled branches, cut to no longer than 6 feet in length, at the roadside. Smaller branches should be tied and bundled.

“If you still have trees waiting to be picked up, please call the highway department with the address of the removal,” said Robert Murphy, Superintendent of Highways. “I would just ask that residents have patience as we get through the cleanup, after this unexpected storm. Our team is dealing with lots of landscapers dumping debris on the street, not adhering to the town code. This causes delays in our operations as we need to stop to cut large stumps and trees. However, We won’t stop until we’ve gotten to every call.” –

The Smithtown Highway Department addressed approximately 250 to 300 fallen or uprooted trees reported to the Department. That number is expected to increase as cleanup is still underway.

Storm Damage Totals:

According to PSEG Long Island, over 17,000 residents in the Commack and Hauppauge areas experienced power outages. The majority of those customers now have power. On Tuesday, July 2, there were approximately 1,800 PSEG customers in the Town of Smithtown affected by outages, primarily in Commack. As of this morning ,July 3, that number has been reduced to 80 customers affected. PSEG estimates that power will be restored to every customer in Smithtown by 7PM this evening.

Last night, PSEG briefly shut down power in the Pickwick Drive area (between Veterans Memorial Highway and Jericho Turnpike) and along Harned Road and Wyandanch Boulevard, in order to cut down damaged trees leaning on power lines.

Power Outages – PSEG Information: View PSEG Long Island’s outage map Click Here

To report and receive status updates on an outage Text OUT to PSEGLI (773454) or to report an outage online visit www.psegliny.com.

To register, have your account number available and text REG to PSEGLI (773454)

Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything contacting the wire. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number: 1-800-490-0075.

Tree Debris, Flooding or Road Concerns: To report tree debris for pickup, flooding and other storm related conditions along the roads, please contact the Highway Department at (631) 360-7500.

Stranded Vehicles: If there is an emergency, please dial 911 immediately. All non life-threatening calls can be directed to the Department of Public Safety by calling (631) 360-7553.

Suffolk 311: Suffolk County 311 is a central call center available to residents who do not know which number to call for any non-emergency. Residents can reach the 311 line Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or leave messages after hours.

Animals & Family Pets: Outdoor animals should be sheltered indoors for the duration of any storm. To report animals in distress, strays or other loose domestic or wild animals please call (631) 360-7575.

Elderly Neighbors & Special Needs individuals: Always check on your neighbors living with disabilities, special needs or senior citizens. Make sure they have an emergency phone, plenty of water, food and blankets. Ask if they have someone to call in the event of an emergency.

Photo by Mark Stevens

Winter Storm Riley knocks out power, causes flooding on North Shore

by Alex Petroski - March 5, 2018

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As the calendar creeps into March, the North Shore of Long Island is not quite experiencing spring weather just yet. The entire East Coast of the United States was battered by Winter Storm Riley, which arrived during the morning hours March 2, with a combination of high winds, rapid rainfall and shear duration causing severe flooding and power outages locally in addition to several casualties elsewhere.

The nor’easter, or a storm along the East Coast of North America with winds over the coastal area blowing from the northeast, according to the National Weather Service, left more than 128,000 PSEG Long Island customers without power over the weekend. As of 8:30 p.m. March 4, the utility said more than 99 percent of its affected customers had power restored.

“Nor’easters are always a challenge and something that is a concern for us here, particularly when it comes to issues like power outages, flooding and coastal erosion,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said during the afternoon March 2 while providing an update to residents about the storm. People worry about interruptions in the supply of drugs from online pharmacies. “This storm in particular is a challenge for a couple of reasons. You are combining here high winds and a significant amount of rainfall. When you have those two things happening at the same time you are creating an environment for power outages, downed power lines, downed trees blocking roadways. Those are all the things we are monitoring, watching out for.”

Bellone said he had been in touch with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) office, and the state had offered to provide Suffolk with any additional equipment or personnel it required to effectively deal with Riley.

Much of Suffolk County experienced between 2 ½ and four inches of rainfall during the storm, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts in Suffolk reached as high as 78 mph in Middle Island, 51 mph in East Northport and 43 in Miller Place.

Port Jefferson Village, or Drowned Meadow as it was originally called in past centuries, endured substantial flooding. One Facebook poster joked Main Street in Port Jeff resembled Venice, Italy.

“We have flooding downtown folks and are now at high tide,” the village posted on its official Facebook page at about 11 a.m. March 2, adding several village streets had to be closed due to flooding. “We will keep you posted. Stay safe!”

There will be no rest for the weary hoping the passing of Riley would signal a shift toward spring weather, as the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for much of the region March 5 calling for a winter storm that could bring several inches of snow beginning late March 6 into March 7.

Thunderstorm was a rude awakening

by TBR Staff - August 6, 2015

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A utility crew gets to work on Old Post Road in Port Jefferson after a storm wreaked havoc on the area. Photo by Elana Glowatz

Tuesday morning’s storm literally came out of the blue. The skies were clear and calm on Monday and residents were going about their summer, as they should.

Some may have even welcomed the news of pending thunderstorms and rain — we could use the shower. But then it hit.

By the time we woke up Tuesday morning, we were reminded just how fragile our environment is. Trees were in our streets. Traffic lights had gone black. Police were scrambling to make sense of the aftermath of what was a short but intense early-morning storm filled with heavy winds, rain, thunder and, in spots, hail.

We will spend the coming days digging ourselves out, as we always do in the wake of severe weather events. But let’s not just get back to business once the roads are cleared and the traffic lights flicker green, yellow and red once more.

This was a freak weather event. We did not have the courtesy of a week’s warning as we did during storms with names like Irene or Sandy. We did not see this one coming.

And now, we are all paying for it.

We are calling on our elected officials to use this severe storm as a catalyst to catapult environmentally focused legislation and reforms.

For example, we like to talk a lot about moving our power lines underground in order to save them from toppling trees. But the price tag is usually what puts that idea right back into our political pockets, stored away for another day. Well that day is fast approaching.

This summer has already had its fair share of gentle and not-so-gentle reminders that our environment is suffering. In June, we spent weeks discussing the causes and effects of low oxygen levels along our shores that left our waterfronts riddled with dead fish. The tragic event sparked a political debate over the Island’s environmental future but, again, we still await concrete action.

We are also calling on our legislators and our readers to use this storm as a reminder to stay on top of the greenery we all take pride in. Clean up your yards and have your trees routinely inspected and trimmed to ensure they can sustain the kinds of storms that catch us off guard. We can also stock up on nonperishable foods and batteries to ease the panic in a storm’s aftermath. There is always more we can do.

It’s time we come to terms with the notion that significant action is necessary, and is worth the financial investment. One way or another, we will end up paying in the long run. Let’s start paying now instead of the inevitable next time traffic lights go dark.

Early morning storm rocks North Shore

by Phil Corso - August 4, 2015

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Severe weather toppled trees and downed power lines across the North Shore on Tuesday morning, leaving roads unnavigable and residents without electricity in areas including Port Jefferson, Setauket, Smithtown and Stony Brook.

The National Weather Service sent out three separate thunderstorm warnings in the early morning hours between 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. citing reports of hail, thunderstorms and wind damage with trees falling onto homes and power lines down throughout the Port Jefferson area. By daybreak, intense winds and rain made way for a sunny morning that revealed the aftermath of the storm. Trees were in the streets and traffic lights had gone black.

By 11 a.m. on Tuesday, utility PSEG Long Island reported more than 20,000 customers in Brookhaven Town without power and more than 8,000 in Smithtown. Over 42,000 customers were affected in total and as of 10:30 a.m. 38,027 are without power throughout Long Island and the Rockaways, PSEG said.

Route 25A in East Setauket was a hotbed of activity on Tuesday morning, and the Suffolk County Police Department urged drivers to treat outed traffic lights as stop signs in lieu of electricity. In fact, SCPD requested all drivers to completely avoid Route 25A all together on Tuesday morning in Port Jefferson, Setauket and Stony Brook as various road closures were underway to remove trees from the streets. By 10:30 a.m., SCPD announced that Route 25A was closed in both directions between Franklin Street and Stony Hill Road in Port Jefferson.

Lights along Nicolls Road in Stony Brook, and all lights from Nicolls Road on Route 25A stretching to Main Street in Setauket were out this morning. Tree and leaves were strewn across Route 25A, and traffic moved slowly along the thoroughfare in the Setauket and Stony Brook areas. SCPD cars were a common sight. The lights were out at many businesses along Main Street in Stony Brook.

In a statement, Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine said he was working with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office to coordinate resources to respond to hard-hit areas.

“The storm that hit this morning caused extensive damage and power outages throughout the North Shore, and I have authorized all resources from Parks and Waste Management Departments to assist the Highway Department in the clean-up effort,” he said. “Our Emergency Operations Center was activated at 6:30 a.m. and currently, a PSEG representative is coordinating efforts to restore power to more than 21,000 Brookhaven residents.”

The Smithtown Fire Department responded to a call of the first of many downed power lines at 5:01 a.m., according to spokesman Jeff Bressler. The alarms were the result of a quick-moving powerful storm that made its way through the Smithtown area. As of 8:43 a.m., eight calls were dispatched for wires in addition to a CO activation and a mutual aid to a structural fire in St. James, Bressler said.

The National Weather Service also issued a coastal hazard message as the storm battered the North Shore, warning residents to watch out for strong rip currents flowing away from the shorelines.

Rohma Abbas contributed to this report.

Tweet us your updates on the aftermath of the storm @TBRNewspapers.

Send us your storm photos to [email protected].

Power Outages

Town of Smithtown responds to Sunday, July 1 storm

Winter Storm Riley knocks out power, causes flooding on North Shore

Thunderstorm was a rude awakening

Early morning storm rocks North Shore

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