Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a stern warning to public utilities Saturday, saying the state will hold LIPA and others responsible if they were not adequately prepared for Hurricane Sandy.
At a massive food distribution event at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, Cuomo said power has been restored to 60 percent of the New York metropolitan area.
LIPA reported Saturday evening that 460,000 customers remained without power, down from more than 900,000 initially.
"I've warned the utility companies repeatedly they operate under a
state charter, essentially," Cuomo said. "The utility companies are not
happy with my warning and frankly, I don't care.
"The customers are not happy. The bill payers are not happy and the
people without power are not happy," Cuomo said. "People are suffering.
It is an issue of safety and if the utilities were not prepared we will
hold them accountable."
A senior LIPA official told Patch that full restoration to Long Island is not expected until next weekend.
LIPA, with federal and state assistance, is bringing in thousands of additional workers this weekend, LIPA officials said.
Cuomo also announced Saturday the state has received $27,792,296 in
federal disaster funds to be used to hire workers who lost their jobs as
a direct result of Hurricane Sandy. The metropolitan area workers are
to be hired "to help clean up and recover communities impacted by
Hurricane Sandy and put unemployed New Yorkers back to work,” Cuomo
said.
To be eligible, workers must be unemployed as a result of Hurricane
Sandy or unemployed and not receiving unemployment benefits or other
types of income support. Those interested should call 1-888-4-NYSDOL (1-888-469-7365).
Also, Cuomo said all nine counties initially approved for federal
disaster assistance, including Nassau and Suffolk, have been approved
for additional funding under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. The
funds will help pay for emergency measures and debris removal.
(Editor's Note: Joe Dowd wrote this article.)
Cuomo Demands Accountability from Utilities
While distributing food to hurricane victims Saturday, governor demands accountability of LIPA.
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pat conway June 12, 2013 at 02:10 pm
just reading Jane Goodall with my son for school and came across this quote of an amazing woman…Read More "every individual matters, every individual has a role to play, every individual makes a difference." that is what makes our nation, our village so great everyone has an opinion whether we agree with it or not. It just saddens me to think some may not voice their opinion in the future because of the rather harsh comments which I'm sure were just meant to get a point across rather than be hurtful. Garden City residents are not afraid to get involved, to stand up for what they believe in and I am proud to live here.
GcSupporter#2 June 12, 2013 at 04:15 pm
"If there is no discipline, there is anarchy. Good citizenship demands attention to…Read More responsibilities as well as rights."
- Principal Joe Clark
pat conway June 12, 2013 at 05:00 pm
Thank you GcSupporter#2 I love quotes! tells so much about the person and their beliefs and life...I…Read More had to look up Principal Joe Clark after that....definitely a man I'd like to learn more about. I always try to use quotes with my children and their school work - I think the spoken and written word of others is so important!
Carisa Giardino (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Thanks Julie for letting everyone know about this important event right here in Garden City!
During the heat wave, I ran out at 2 A.M. to stop a LIPA truck. In spite of receiving messages from LIPA on my cell phone, I did not have electricity. I spoke to the crew. #1 In spite of calling and informing LIPA about the outage, I was not on their work schedule. #2 There were about ten homes on one transformer. My neighbor had electricity because their house was the only one on the transformer behind our two homes. The LIPA crew said that the particilar transformer is the oldest and could blow if any other homes were put on it. #3 The transformer where my house was connected had blown the previous summer. They replaced the transformer and put a multitude of homes on to it. Before the summer was over, it blew again. The crew told me that LIPA had dissolved their tree unit. They employ HARDER to do their tree work. I respect the quality of their work. HOWEVER, they used to come in our back yards once every few years and cut the trees, bushes, etc away from the wires. They did not do the type of job that was artistic. It was totally utilitarian. However, it is / was a wake up call that our bushes were too close to the transformer or the wires. Question, would we have this many outages on Long Island if this service continued. I do not believe we received any reduction of our bill. #4 The LIPA repair crew said that they do assessments and put in work orders for our neighborhood, Garden City, as well as other neighborhoods ... AND THEY ARE IGNORED. My source for this information is the LIPA workers. Not one, but all of them told me how upset they were. LIPA has collected our money but has not truly deliver the product for which we paid. If they were more responsible, I do not think this many homes would be out of power for this length of time. It is time for the Governor to step in and clean up this mess.
Their names are Blair Robertson, Sean David Morton + the "psychic twins". Believe me, before i listen to them i check out Rasmussen Report. VIVA MITT!!
all for Romney?? America is not thrilled with Barry + finally recognize a true leader in Mitt. Just imagine, next January's inauguration: President Willard Mitt Romney!!
After everyone is safe...then the political back and forth can resume...but until then we need to ensure everyone gets on the phone, email or what ever means we can to make sure NEWS 12 investigates this. People are getting sick...physcially sick. There is no gas to go anywhere. Another storm is about to hit.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49699566 http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/sandyunion.asp
They are a poor excuse for a utility
i yelled out "Mitt Romney our next President!" over + over again -- some clapped but two lefty guys screamed out F--U + almost grabbed me were it not for a cop's help. Really, it's a protest vote 'cause it's NY -- all locked up. TONIGHT, MITT ROMNEY WINS!