Severe Thunderstorms Spark Almost 8K Power Outages Across Long Island: PSEG

LONG ISLAND, NY — Saturday night's severe thunderstorms left some Long Islanders without power.

According to the PSEG Long Island, at about 10:30 p.m., crews were responding to outages caused by severe thunderstorms.

As of 10:48 p.m,, about 7,948 residents across Long Island were without power.

There were also reports of downed tree limbs and wires at locations across Long Island.

PSEG Long Island issued an update at 11 p.m. Saturday: "The system has held up well amid heat, heavy rain and wind gusts from the severe thunderstorms across the service area," PSEG Long Island said. "The storm has downed trees, branches and wires, currently affecting more than 7,700 of 1.2 million electric customers across Long Island and the Rockaways.

As of 11 p.m. PSEG Long Island said it had restored power to more than 4,300 customers affected by the heat, heavy and thunderstorms since 3 pm. Saturday.

"Outages are scattered across the service area," PSEG Long Island said. "Crews will work throughout the night safely and as quickly as possible until all outages are restored."

Information about PSEG Long Island’s restoration process is available here.

"PSEG Long Island recognizes that being without power for any length of time is a hardship and appreciates customers’ patience and understanding as crews work to restore electric service," the updated said.

In addition, PSEG Long Island offered customer safety tips:

- Downed wires should always be considered "live." Stay as far away as possible from them, and if possible keep others, children, and pets away from the wire. Do not drive over or stand near any downed wire. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.

• Electric current passes easily through water. If you encounter a pool of standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.
• Never use a generator or any gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.
• Click here for additional information on safety during storms.

• Report an outage and receive status updates by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). You can also report your outage through PSEG Long Island's app or website here.
• To report an outage or downed wire, individuals can also call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075.