With Long Island and the entire New York City metropolitan area expecting high temperatures and humidity for the next few days, PSEG Long Island asks its customers to voluntarily conserve electricity when possible.
In addition to the typical demand challenges faced during high heat, PSEG Long Island is aware of issues affecting some interconnections that provide electricity to the service area and is working with their third party owners. We have set in place proactive measures to address energy demands across Long Island and the Rockaways. PSEG Long Island expects to have sufficient electricity from available sources to meet forecasted customer demand, contingent upon other transmission and generation facilities remaining in service. To ensure the demand does not exceed forecasts, customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways are asked to use electricity wisely.
As the heat arrives, PSEG Long Island may choose to activate its voluntary Smart Savers Thermostat program to reduce loading on the system and create future savings for customers. Approximately 31,000 customers have voluntarily enrolled in this program.
“With more people working from home, it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to conserve energy and reduce overall peak demand,” said Michael Sullivan, senior director of Transmission and Distribution, PSEG Long Island. “PSEG Long Island has made preparations for this situation and our personnel will work according to plan to provide the electricity we all need. By working together, we can avoid exceeding load forecasts and ensure that everyone’s air conditioning stays on as we weather this heat.”
PSEG Long Island also encourages customers to take these easy and practical energy conservation measures that can reduce peak demand on the system and save them money.
Set home thermostats or air conditioner units to 78 degrees.
Run major appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and pool pumps, in the morning or late evening to avoid the peak demand hours of 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Set refrigerators and freezers at most-efficient temperatures.
Do not cool an empty house. Set your thermostat higher when you are away, or use a smart thermostat to control the temperature in your home. Customers can receive an incentive on qualifying thermostats for enrolling in PSEG Long Island’s Smart Savers Thermostat program, which can be used to control usage during peak summer days. Visit https://www.psegliny.com/smartsavers for more details.
Close blinds and draperies facing the sun to keep out the sun’s heat.
Ceiling fans cool fast and cost less than air conditioning. (In hot weather, set your ceiling fan to spin quickly, counterclockwise to push air downward toward the floor.)
Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows with caulk or weather-stripping.
Replace old appliances with new energy efficient ENERGY STAR® appliances
Replace air filters monthly. Dirty filters make your air conditioner work harder.
Additional energy saving conservation tips can be obtained from PSEG Long Island’s website, www.psegliny.com, or by calling its Energy Infoline at 1-800-692-2626.
Jayleen Martorell and Michael Gallarello from
Bretton Woods Elementary School
PSEG Long Island has announced the winners of its first-ever Earth Day Video PSA Contest. Two hundred seven videos were submitted by creative, local schoolchildren, and 10 made the final cut. Dozens of students and teachers who participated in the program watched the announcement live via webinar hosted by the company on April 22.
Over the past two and a half months, nearly 4,500 students in grades 4-8 engaged in the I AM EM-Powered Program and Student Challenge. Created by educational consultants, D. Barrett Associates, the STEM-related coursework provided lessons on energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy in alignment with current educational standards on these topics. The curriculum was also tailored for classroom, virtual learning and hybrid scenarios. Teachers could select and submit their favorite three videos to be judged by a strict grading rubric.
“Itwas so exciting to see these award-winning videos and to announce the 10 winners today,” said Suzanne Brienza, PSEG Long Island’s director of Customer Experience and Utility Marketing, who co-hosted the event. “The students’ messages of protecting our oceans, conserving electricity and using energy efficient light bulbs are lessons for all of us.”
Michael Voltz, PSEG Long Island’s director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, also co-hosted the event. “It’s great to see how these young environmental advocates are embracing these important issues and adding to the discussion about what we can do to protect and nurture our planet,” he said. “We are very pleased with the positive feedback from students and teachers about this new I AM EM-PoweredProgram and Student Challenge for Earth Day. Congratulations to all of the students who participated, and thank you to all the teachers who implemented the coursework.”
Sponsored by PSEG Long Island, the I AM EM-Powered Program and Student Challenge was provided free to students in the company’s service area – Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaways.
Here is a complete list of the winners.
Student Winners
Name of
PSA video
Grade
Teacher(s)
School
District
Pavly Zaky
Lilly Knows LEDs
6th
Karen Alonge
East Meadow Middle School
East Meadow
Jacob Park
Dylan Couture
Josh Bonfanti
Conserving Energy
7th
Ellen McGlade-McCulloh
East Meadow Middle School
East Meadow
Juliette Markesano
5 Easy Ways to Save Money
6th
Karen Alonge
East Meadow Middle School
East Meadow
Michael Gallarello Jayleen Martorell
Put Your Waste in its Rightful Place
5th
Veronica Weeks
Tara Dungate
Bretton Woods Elementary School
Hauppauge
Valerie Tuosto
Zia Baluyot
Cleaner Energy is Your Superpower
8th
Matthew Schneck
Lynbrook South Middle School
Lynbrook
Nicole Marino Clara Levy Brooke Marek Leah Anzalone
Energy Conservation
7th
Vince Interrante
Mineola Middle School
Mineola
James Catania
Jose Velasquez
Save Water
8th
Lisa McDougal
Oyster Bay High School
Oyster Bay-East Norwich
Skyler Placella
Special Energy Agent
5th
Diana Hauser
James H. Vernon School, Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay-East Norwich
Abigail Rudnet
How to Conserve Energy
5th
Frank Sommo
James H. Vernon School, Oyster Bay
Oyster Bay-East Norwich
Lena Okurowski
Sophia Lastorino
Layla Kelly
Save the Oceans
5th
Justin DeMaio
Bayview Elementary School
West Islip
The 10 award-winning videos are available for viewing at youtube.com/psegli. Click the playlist titled “I Am EM-powered PSA contest winners 2021.”
PSEG Long Island provides educational resources through its robust Community Partnership Program, which includes several educational programs for children of all ages at schools, after-school and camp programs. These shows and programs on energy conservation, electric safety and preparing for an emergency have educated tens of thousands of children. This new I Am EM-Powered coursework and contest has been receiving high praise since it was added to the educational programming lineup.
April is National Safe Digging Month, and PSEG Long Island reminds customers, contractors and excavators to call before digging to avoid hitting underground pipelines, conduits, wires and cables. 811 is the designated national phone number to have underground lines located and marked before projects begin around the home or business.
The safety of the community is a top priority for PSEG Long Island – especially when it comes to safe, reliable power. Social distancing continues to be an important tactic in fighting COVID-19, so PSEG Long Island reminds the public that mark-out work is performed entirely outdoors and there is no need for any interaction between the technician and the person who called to request the mark out.
“Spring is the time of year when many of us begin making improvements to our homes and businesses. Calling 811 ahead of time helps to protect underground lines and the safety of anyone digging on their properties,” said John O’Connell, PSEG Long Island vice president of Transmission and Distribution Operations. “People are getting the message. Last year there were more than 227,000 mark-out requests, and so far this year, there have been more than 40,000 requests to 811.”
A free call to 811 automatically connects the caller to the local New York one-call center, which collects information about digging projects. The one-call center then provides the information to the utility companies, which send representatives to mark the locations of nearby underground lines with flags, paint or both. Once lines have been properly marked and confirmation from all of the utility owners is received, projects may proceed as long as caution is used around the marked areas.
Every digging project, even a small project like planting a tree or building a deck, requires a call to 811. It’s the law. The call must be made whether the job is being performed by a professional or a do-it-yourselfer. Striking a single line can cause serious injury and outages, and result in repair costs and fines.
Underground gas and electric lines are everywhere, even on private properties. These facilities can be easily damaged if dug into, with the potential to cause serious injuries. Digging into these lines can also disrupt vital utility services, resulting in costly delays, expensive repairs and environmental or property damage.
Whether planning a major home improvement project or installing something as simple as a fence or mailbox post, a call must be placed beforehand to determine where it’s safe to dig.
Call 811 at least two business days before the commencement of each job to have underground pipes, wires and equipment located. Each facility owner must respond by providing the excavator with a positive confirmation indicating that marks are in place where utility lines are buried or that there are no existing facilities in the area of the proposed work. This service is free of charge.
Be sure to wait until all of the utilities have responded. Don’t dig until lines have been marked or you have received confirmation that the area is clear of facilities.
Property owners must maintain and respect the marks. Always hand dig within 2 feet of marked lines to find the existing facilities before using mechanized equipment.
If gas lines are damaged or there is a gas smell when excavating, call 911 immediately from a safe area.
Calling before you dig is more than a good idea − it’s the law. Additional information, including a booklet on safe excavating practices and the protection of underground facilities, can be found on the PSEG Long Island website.
PSEG Long Island recognized Allison Sencadas of Selden, and her colleagues, for Surveyors Week on March 21 through March 28 and Women’s History Month.
PSEG Long Island’s surveyors are the first to arrive on a construction site, mapping out and measuring the land, and the last to leave the jobsite, ensuring that all work is performed to accurately meet these measurements.
Surveyors touch every department within the company, including underground and overhead lines, substation design, construction and maintenance, and legal. Precise measurements help to keep workers and members of the public safe, and prevent damage to infrastructure, which saves money for the company and its customers.
“As a survey computer drafting specialist, it is my job to interpret, relate and compute information provided by the field surveyor in order to generate a survey map,” Sencadas said. “The production of a finished survey map provides the dimensions and angles of a particular parcel of land, the exact location of boundary lines, as well as the location of existing facilities in the area.”
She added that these maps collectively play a role in the planning and development of new facilities as well as improvements to existing PSEG Long Island facilities.
National Surveyors Week and Global Surveyors Day (March 23) were founded by the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).
For more PSEG Long Island employee stories, follow #PSEGLIProud on social media.
Snow blanketed the ground as a winter storm hit the North Shore Dec. 16 into 17. Photo by Kyle Barr
*Update: This version of the story includes the number of homes who are still without power as of 4 p.m.
The Nor’easter that hit the east coast cut out power to thousands of homes on Long Island. By 4 p.m. on Thursday, the number of homes without power declined to 348. Earlier in the day, 3,444 homes were without electricity. PSEG Long Island said it had restored power to more than 98% of the homes affected by the storm.
PSEG LI expected to restore power to all homes by the end of the day.
“We expect to restore power to all remaining customers today,” PSEG LI said in a statement.
PSEG added personnel, including tree and line crews, to repair damage and restore outages. The utility had more than 1,300 line workers, tree trimmers, surveyors and other personnel on site to restore power.
“This storm brought down trees and wires throughout our service area,” John O’Connell, Vice President, Transmission & Distribution, PSEG Long Island, said in a statement. “We know that being without power for any length of time is a hardship and we thank our customers for their patience as we work through the damage and difficult conditions to restore their power [as] safely and quickly as possible.”
In an update on the storm, County Executive Steve Bellone (D) described the number of power outages as “good news,” as outages were a “big concern here because of the nature of the storm.” Bellone spoke with reporters at the Department of Public Works in Commack.
“We did not see a significant number of power outages in this storm,” Bellone added.
Bellone suggested that outages may have been lower because some of the limbs and trees that could have come down had already fallen or been removed.
Suffolk County Police Department Chief Stuart Cameron, meanwhile, thanked the Department of Public Works and the police department for working through the night.
As of 8 a.m., Chief Cameron said the county had 171 accidents since 4 p.m. the night before. Police were working on two active crashes, which is lower than they would normally have.
Chief Cameron also wanted to thank many residents of Suffolk County for heeding the advisory and staying off the roads.
Some of the ramps for the Long Island Expressway still had plenty of snow and slush on them. Chief Cameron advised drivers to consider taking the next ramp, if their exit appeared challenging from the conditions.
Chief Cameron also urged residents to give themselves plenty of time to clear their car of snow and ice before they need to leave their homes.
“My car was heavily iced,” Chief Cameron said. “It took me a long time to clean” it off.
Looking at the forecast for Friday, Bellone said the colder temperatures could create conditions for black ice. He urged people to be “careful throughout [Thursday] and into tomorrow as well.”
A look at Port Jefferson Harbor from the Village Center during Winter Storm Grayson as blizzard-force winds and more than a foot of snow pound the coast in January, 2018. File photo
As the nor’easter bears down on the mid-Atlantic states, the forecast for Long Island continues to include considerable snow, although the forecast varies by area.
The estimated snowfall ranges from 6 inches to 13 inches.
“We know the storm will be hitting us harder on the west end of Suffolk County, rather than the east end, where we’ll see lower amounts,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said during a weather update at the Commack Department of Public Works.
The storm will also hit harder in the north, rather than the south shore.
“This is going to be a heavy, wet snow, which is, of course, something that creates its own set of challenges,” Bellone said.
Bellone urged residents to return to their homes as early as possible tonight. The storm is expected to increase in intensity this evening through the overnight hours. During that time, snow could accumulate at the rate of one to two inches per hour.
“You should be off the roads by the latest, at 9 p.m. tonight.
While the east end will get lower snow totals, the area will have higher winds, with gusts of up to 57 miles per hour.
The county is opening its emergency operations center today and expects to have it open through tomorrow at 4 p.m..
The Department of Public Works has 200 vehicles ready, with about 19 tons of salt at their disposal to help clear the snow and ice from the roads.
Bellone urged residents to try to work from home on Thursday, if they can.
“Tomorrow is a day, if you can, to stay home,” Bellone urged.
Suffolk County Police Department Chief Stuart Cameron said this type of heavy snow can clog the chute of a snow blower.
“You should never, ever stick your hand” in the chute, Cameron cautioned, even if the device is turned off, because a blade can rotate and severely injure someone’s hand.
Cameron also advised against bringing a barbecue or generator inside the house because they release carbon monoxide, which can be dangerous to homeowners.
At this point, Bellone said there were no changes to the bus schedule. He urged residents to check for any modifications, particularly tomorrow after the snowstorm passes.
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
PSEG trucks remove a downed tree in Mount Sinai Aug. 7. For several days, cars had to swerve around the tree that split the intersection of North Country Road and Crystal Brook Hollow Road. Photo by Kyle Barr
LIPA filed a $70 million lawsuit against PSEG-Long Island in State Supreme Court in Mineola against the New Jersey-based power company for breach of contract in response to Tropical Storm Isaias, which hit Aug. 4 and knocked out power for some Long Islanders for over eight days.
The Department of Public Service recommended a lawsuit to the LIPA Board of Trustees.
“Utility companies are beholden to ratepayers, and when that service is inadequate — or as in this case, a complete failure — those utilities need to be held accountable,” Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a statement. PSEG “failed to hold up their end. It’s inexcusable, and we’re going to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
The complaint, filed by attorneys at the law firm Rivkin Radler, alleges breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, based on PSEG’s “failure to prepare for and manage restoration effort during and following Tropical Storm Isaias. LIPA also brings this action for specific performance to compel PSEG LI to comply with its obligations” under the operations service agreement.
The suit also alleges “corporate mismanagement, misfeasance, incompetence, and indifference, rising well beyond the level of simple negligence.”
Immediate Fix Demanded
State Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport), an outspoken critic of LIPA and PSEG LI’s response to the storm, welcomed the legal action.
“It’s about time LIPA start acting to protect the best interests of Long Island ratepayers,” Gaughran said in a statement. Gaughran urged LIPA to make sure the $70 million is paid by PSEG shareholders and not ratepayers.
“An independent receiver should be appointed to refund this $70 million to hardworking Long Islanders and not dumped into the blackhole of LIPA’s budget,” Gaughran added.
In a statement, LIPA CEO Tom Falcone said PSEG LI must “immediately fix these failed information technology systems and abide by its contract” as LIPA continues to review its legal, contractual and termination options.
“PSEG Long Island has collected nearly half a billion dollars from Long Island customers over the past seven years while failing to meet its basic obligations,” Falcone added.
John Rhodes, Special Counsel for statewide ratepayer protection for the New York State Department of Public Service, asked if LIPA should “find a new service provider?”
In a statement, PSEG Long Island said it was “hard at work addressing recommendations in LIPA’s 30- and 90-day reports. We believe that the current public-private partnership is the best option for Long Island customers and we have remained committed to being the service provider of choice for LIPA.”
PSEG LI is “aware that this lawsuit has been filed and we are reviewing it.”
Lawsuit Claims
In the lawsuit, LIPA describes PSEG LI as demonstrating willful, bad faith and grossly negligent failures.
One of a litany of complaints during and after the storm was the inability for customers to connect with PSEG and to receive a reliable estimate of the time to restore power.
Ratepayers were “left without critical information as adequate telephone lines were overwhelmed with calls and an Outage Management System, selected by PSEG LI as able to withstand a major storm and paid for by LIPA, failed.”
About a million customer calls and 300,000 text messages did not reach PSEG LI, according to the suit.
Calls to outage and billing lines “became overloaded and failed,” the suit alleges, with 75% of customer calls to PSEG LI’s Outage Line not going through on the first day of the storm.
PSEG LI “did not properly monitor whether the calls on the Outage Line were connecting. Calls were dropped without PSEG LI’s knowledge,” according to the suit.
LIPA asserted that PSEG should have known about the inadequacy of the voice telephony system.
PSEG did not perform sufficient tests to determine whether the system would function during a major storm event before or in the 100 days after Isaias, the suit further claimed.
The problems with the telecommunications system predated the storm, as the suit indicated that the “OMS did not crash due to Isaias. It was already failing.”
PSEG LI “must develop a comprehensive integrated set of business continuity plans for every critical IT and communication system on Long Island, plus all repair and recovery activities,” according to the suit.
Kings Park restaurant owners and Smithtown election officials celebrate businesses receiving new propane heater lamps. Photo from Town of Smithtown
By Julianne Mosher
With the changes in how customers shop and dine across the region, PSEG Long Island wanted to step in and help.
Relish in Kings Park, above, was one of the eight restaurants gifted outdoor propane heaters thanks to the grant given to local chambers from PSEG Long Island. ‘I’m so excited that we were given them,’ manager Kristy Ludeman said. ‘It helps keep everyone at night warm and the guests are really enjoying it.’ Photo by Julianne Mosher
John Keating, manager of economic development with PSEGLI, said that the company began its Main Street Revitalization Program about two years ago with the goal to bring business back downtown. But because of the COVID-19 crisis, PSEGLI saw an opportunity to help out during the changing times.
“We saw a lot of areas were looking at outdoor dining and outdoor shopping,” Keating said. “It has become a lifeline for them to stay in business.”
The Chamber of Commerce Main Street Revitalization Award grants up to $5,000 to chambers and business improvement districts to help purchase durable goods that support outdoor commerce.
“It’s our small way to help businesses thrive,” Keating said.
To date, PSEGLI has paid or preapproved grants for 20 Chambers or BIDs in towns and villages across Long Island — from Sag Harbor to Great Neck — totaling nearly $100,000.
Keating said that when a chamber or BID is approved, the funds are based on a reimbursement process.
“We want to make sure the money goes to durable material that supports outdoor shopping,” he said. “Once approved, they can make the purchase, send us the receipts and then we reimburse them.”
And many of the local chambers have either applied or are considering it. The Town of Smithtown announced last week that the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce was awarded the grant and was then gifted new outdoor propane heaters — the first chamber to do so.
Diane Motherway, executive director of the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, said that she was surprised to hear that they were the first to use the money for heat. Other recipients used the funds to purchase outdoor tables, chairs, umbrellas or planters, but Kings Park saw what was already implemented and decided to add to what shops have established outside.
“Some restaurants were set up already,” she said. “So, we were trying to think of ways to help since that was taken care of.”
That’s when they thought of the heaters, especially since Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) made an announcement Sept. 17 extending the temporary outdoor dining permit to Dec. 31.
“We’re trying to do our part in any way that we can,” Motherway said.
It was announced that the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce is also a recipient of the award and will be using the funds to gift outdoor heaters, as well.
“We’re trying to help businesses through their chambers,” Keating said. “It’s been a very positive experience because most chambers don’t have a lot of funds to work with — this was something that they could help make a difference.”
Keating added that 90 percent of the Long Island economy comes from small business, so the pandemic caused stress for small shops.
“Our end game is keeping more businesses surviving during the pandemic,” he said.
Hurricane Laura is expected to cut across the breadth of the U.S. and come at Long Island as a series of storms. PSEG LI said its ready for any cleanup afterwards. Image from NOAA
Amid numerous investigations about its failed communication systems and inaccurate estimated time to restore power after Tropical Storm Isaias, PSEG LI is returning to an earlier version of outage software.
Tropical Storm Isaias uprooted a tree in St. James. Photo by Rita J. Egan
The utility, which is overseen by the Long Island Power Authority, is rolling back from version 6.7, which was installed earlier this year, to version 5.5, according to an email from LIPA in response to TBR News Media’s questions.
This is one of several steps PSEG, under LIPA’s supervision, is taking to address any future storms that might hit Long Island.
“LIPA is currently conducting an end-to-end review to understand the root causes of the communications and restoration systems issues, including the outage management system and the various feeder systems,” LIPA representatives explained in its email.
The power authority also indicated that it was closely overseeing PSEG’s immediate, corrective actions through daily calls and reports and an independent review of system modifications and testing.
LIPA and Electeds Conduct Reviews
LIPA is planning to issue 30, 90, and 180-day reports to the LIPA Board of Trustees and the public.
The reviews include an evaluation of pre-storm readiness of the telecommunication systems, a root causes analysis of unprocessed calls and text message, and review of the design and implementation of outage management and restoration systems and processes and actionable recommendations on storm preparedness, system and management controls and approaches to increasing system reliability and performance.
“It’s good that they’re doing an outside report … It’s not going to help us now.”
– Jim Gaughran
While State Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport) welcomed the review, his primary concern, he said, was whether the utility was prepared for the next storm, particularly in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Laura, which devastated parts of Louisiana.
“It’s good that they’re doing an outside report,” Gaughran said in an interview. “It’s not going to help us now. This is a crisis situation and you would think that they would have an emergency task force… that would come up with changes and implement them” within days of the response to a storm that knocked out power for more than a week to parts of Long Island.
PSEG said in an emailed statement that the company is “working diligently to be prepared for the next major weather event and ensure that our response to Tropical Storm Isaias was an anomaly.”
The utility company indicated it had made configuration and capacity changes to the phone system, rolled back the outage management system to a more “stable” version and put “processes in place to continuously monitor our IT systems for capacity and bottleneck issues.”
A tree lies across Old Post Road East in Mount Sinai after Tropical Storm Isais. Photo by Kyle Barr
While New York State Attorney General Letitia James is conducting her own investigation into the company’s response to the storm, LIPA indicated that the Department of Financial Services, in cooperation with the Department of Public Service, was also participating in a review.
The involvement in the DFS is “good,” said Gaughran, who has been a consistent critic of both LIPA and PSEG even before Tropical Storm Isaias. “The more the merrier.”
One of the questions Gaughran and other representatives asked about LIPA’s oversight of PSEG LI related to the timing and effectiveness of the most recent stress test. In response to a letter Gaughran and Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) sent to LIPA, CEO Thomas Falcone indicated that the outage management system was most recently stress tested in June of this year.
“Part of LIPA’s review includes the stress-testing procedures used in the past and improvements for the future,” Falcone said in his response.
Cost of the Cleanup
Senator Gaughran and Assemblyman Thiele said they are also focused on the source of any reimbursement the company receives in connection with costs related to the storm.
Long Island rate payers “shouldn’t be paying for the cost of out-of-town crews sitting around waiting to do work and not doing work because the management failed to communicate,” Gaughran said. The costs of bringing in those crews from out of state and feeding and housing them should be shared by shareholders of PSEG, Gaughran contended.
“I believe shareholders have to be responsible for at least any portion of the additional costs related to their incompetence and failure in dealing with the communication system,” he said. Had the communication system worked as it should, the time to restore power might have been cut down dramatically, Gaughran argued.
“LIPA retains a third-party auditor for storm recovery costs where federal funds are involved, as will likely be the case for Isaias,” Falcone said in the letter.
LIPA estimates that the cost of restoration, which involved over 6,000 personnel, was over $350 million, with $260 million eligible for FEMA reimbursement. The main driver of the costs, Falcone said in his letter, was the extensive damage to the electric grid, which occurred at over 20,000 locations.
Reiterating sentiments he shared during a virtual joint hearing of the New York State Senate and Assembly, Falcone said the system PSEG LI designed and implemented did “not meet the standards of our contract. LIPA retains all of its contractual rights and remedies and will pursue the appropriate course of action after the conclusion of the various investigations.”
“LIPA retains a third-party auditor for storm recovery costs where federal funds are involved, as will likely be the case for Isaias.”
Thomas Falcone
Gaughran said he would consider Falcone’s response to his letter and would likely respond with additional questions that address additional concerns.
“There are a lot of issues I hope” LIPA addresses, the state senator said, including why the company didn’t contract with workers from National Grid, who were already on Long Island.
“You had Long Islanders ready to work,” Gaughran said. “They could have been put into operation immediately.”
Gaughran doesn’t necessarily think LIPA needs to revoke its contract with PSEG LI. Rather, he wants to “get a system so the lights can go back on at a reasonable time.”
Ultimately, the state Senator believes the way LIPA oversees PSEG LI may not provide sufficient reassurance for residential and business customers.
Ultimately, Gaughran would like the legislature to revisit the structure of the agreement between LIPA and PSEG LI.
“This structure isn’t working,” Gaughran said.
In his letter to the politicians, Falcone agreed that “Long Islanders deserve better” than the response they got from PSEG LI after Isaias. “LIPA is working to ensure they get better.”
A car crushed by a tree in Miller place after strong winds by Tropical Storm Isaias. Photo by Kyle Barr
PSEG Long Island announced Monday, Aug. 17 they will be allowing people to make claims in order to be reimbursed for spoiled food or medicines during outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias.
PSEG is allowing people whose power was out for 72 hours or more between Aug. 4 and Aug. 12 to file claims with the utility company’s claims department. Residents can be reimbursed up to $250 while commercial entities can be reimbursed up to $5,000 if the outage was caused by Isaias.
For residential customers, food spoilage claims of $150 or less must include an itemized list. Food spoilage claims over $150 must include an itemized list and proof of loss, including a cash register tapes, store or credit card receipts, canceled checks or photographs of spoiled items.
Separately, customers will be reimbursed for losses, up to a maximum of $300, for prescription medications that spoiled due to lack of refrigeration. Customers must provide an itemized list of the medications and proof of loss with, for example, a pharmacy prescription label or pharmacy receipt identifying the medicine.
Commercial customers applying for reimbursement must supply an itemized list of spoiled food and proof of loss with invoices, inventory lists or bank statements.
Customers can apply for reimbursement at www.psegliny.com/claims. PSEG said claims cannot be processed over the phone.
Customers will have until Sept. 16 to file claims. Reimbursement is expected to take up to 60 business days from when a form is completed and submitted to PSEG Long Island.
The storm knocked out power to over 420,000 customers on Long Island and the Rockaways, according to a release from PSEG. The company claimed it had been the “the most destructive storm since Superstorm Sandy.” Almost 400,000 people lost power because of the storm, though more experienced outages in subsequent days due to further storms.
For weeks, both residents and elected officials have called on the utility company to offer reimbursement for lost food or medicines while power was out. Some customers didn’t reportedly have power restored until more than a week after the storm hit Aug. 4.
Officials from both parties have been hammering the utility company for the past two weeks over its storm response. New York State Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport) has not only called for reimbursement for PSEG customers, but for the heads of both PSEG and the Long Island Power Authority to step down.
“PSEG’s change in policy for food and medicine reimbursement is a direct result of our efforts to hold PSEG’s feet to the fire” Gaughran said after the reimbursement policy was announced. “The public is owed many more answers by PSEG leadership as to their failed storm response, but this change in policy is welcome news by the half a million families who were left in the dark for days on end.”
PSEG Long Island President Daniel Eichhorn has said the decision came because of understanding the financial straits people are in because of the coronavirus.
“We recognize that losing power in August, together with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a hardship for many of our customers,” Eichhorn said in a release. “Given the unique combination of circumstances, we believe the right thing to do is to expand our claims process to ease the burden on the customers most impacted by Tropical Storm Isaias.”
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