Opinion

sg-sandyLetters

When does <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> get things right? 
 If the gasoline stations were required to have backup generators, then gas would be less of a problem. What good is having gas if you can't pump it? Maybe <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> State should think outside the <a href="/topics//Boxing_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">box</a>? 
 <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> last year had Irene and this year Sandy, next year who knows what? If a country like Holland, which is below sea level, can deal with water, how come New York can't? It doesn't take a genius to follow Holland and adapt what they do to our own situation. 
 I am very disappointed about the cleanup and getting power restored, and I think most citizens agree. Did you know that Frank <a href="/topics//Frank_Petrone">Petrone</a>, town supervisor of Huntington, wanted to have the Huntington workforce work with LIPA, to no avail? It seems Petrone is the only one on the ball. 
 If New York State would require all gas stations to have backup generators as a requirement and take action like what has been done in Holland, then maybe it could be a leader in securing more business. 
 Michael Herman, Huntington &nbsp; 
 A letter writer's plan to reduce the gas lines by raising the price to $5.50 a gallon is truly a stroke of genius ["Leadership and gas lines," Nov. 11]. 
 And his harking back to 301 AD for support of his position clearly demonstrates his knowledge of the distant past. 
 I'd bet 10 gallons of unleaded regular, though, that he doesn't know much about driving a 12-year-old car 80 or more miles a day between home and the one or two jobs many Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> must work to support a spouse, a couple of kids and maybe an aged or disabled parent -- or two or three or four. 
 High prices do not "ration the scarce gas to those who value it most highly." They reserve it to those who can afford to pay exorbitant prices -- quite possibly with a company credit card. 
 Raising the prices of necessities beyond the reach of the <a href="/topics//Common_(musician)">common</a> person: Take a giant leap into the 1700s, and see how well that worked out for the French. 
 I do not drive a 12-year-old car, work two jobs or support an extended family. But I can empathize with those of us who do. 
 Bryan E. Reilly, <a href="/topics//Coram,_NY">Coram</a> &nbsp; 
 You have done many excellent investigative stories on the <a href="/topics//LIRR">LIRR</a>, but there is one more issue that needs to be addressed: accountability. There is none. The <a href="/topics//LIRR">LIRR</a> has no contingency plan and is continuously caught with its pants down. 
 One set of delays recently was due to weather-related signal and switching problems. Why did the <a href="/topics//LIRR">LIRR</a> not have the fires set so that the switches didn't freeze? They knew that the storm was coming. 
 I travel on the <a href="/topics//Montauk,_NY">Montauk</a> branch, which seems to be the LIRR's stepchild. The modified schedule for us at night is a joke. Our options are a 4:10 p.m. train, and a 5:16 p.m. train. The next train after that? 7:16 p.m. 
 There are plenty of local trains to <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a>. Why can't they just run a train from <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a> to <a href="/topics//Patchogue,_NY">Patchogue</a> or Speonk on a more regular basis? 
 The 5:16 p.m. train is a train to Ronkonkoma. <a href="/topics//Montauk,_NY">Montauk</a> branch people have to switch at Jamaica. It is packed to the gills. What really has me furious is that the connecting train was not held on storm night. Why? They knew that we would be delayed from Penn Station. That train originates at Jamaica. It's not like it was packed. We got to Jamaica around 6 p.m. and were told that the next train would be at 7:35 p.m. Well, that train never came, and the weather got worse. 
 Then, to add insult to injury, we were told around 8:30 p.m. to get on a local train to <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a>, and that there would be a train waiting to take us farther east. When we got to Babylon at 11 p.m., there were no trains, and we were told that there would be none. There were no buses or taxis either. 
 This is just unacceptable. I wish your paper would do a report on the lack of accountability within the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and specifically the LIRR. 
 Beth Moose, Islip &nbsp; 
 Having spent an hour and three quarters this morning waiting to get gas at a <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> County station, I was taken aback when I read the Newsday article "The gas flow" [News, Nov. 7]. 
 The story described the <a href="/topics//Holtsville,_NY">Holtsville</a> terminal of Northville Industries, a major gasoline distribution point for the region. Newsday reported that an executive there said that facility was "selling about 25 percent more gasoline than normal." The executive said that a steady stream of tanker trucks was loading up with fuel. 
 "We're selling out our inventory every night" the executive said. Good for them, I thought. But then he went on to say that some major oil companies with contracts to fill up at <a href="/topics//Holtsville,_NY">Holtsville</a> were taking more loads than usual to Brooklyn and Queens, leaving less for stations on Long Island, which normally account for most of the terminal's demand. "There's a pull from the west on our terminal," he said. 
 Reading between the lines, it's easy to see why we on Long Island suffered from a lack of gas. There was no shortage. The distributors were getting a higher price by selling most of it in Brooklyn and Queens. It's a question of money. 
 Benjamin Beekman, Woodbury &nbsp; 
 Yes, we had a storm. Yes, the gas could not be retrieved from the tanks. Yes, the supply from New Jersey was interrupted. But here is the catch: Gas is delivered at 84 octane. To make it usable, it must be 87 octane. That boost is provided by ethanol, our latest and greatest contribution for non-dependency on fossil fuel. 
 The power was restored, the pumps started working, mixing went on and then ... someone ran out of ethanol. 
 Are there no brains out there? Why was gasoline not delivered ready to use by National Guard tank trucks or military tankers? 
 Someone had best get on the ball and realize just what emergency preparedness means. This is Long Island, and it does not run on public transportation, it runs on cars. Unfortunately, I do not think the political establishment has a clue. 
 Richard M. Frauenglass, Huntington &nbsp; 
 I cheered when I read that <a href="/topics//Nassau_County,_NY">Nassau</a> Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick0 introduced a bill requiring gas stations to install backup equipment in case of a power failure ["After Sandy: Plan for gas pumps," News, Nov. 14]. 
 Since the gas shortage began I wondered why stations didn't have their own backup systems. It just seemed like a good business decision. 
 I was shocked by the response of Kevin Beyer, president of the Long Island Gas Retailers Association. He basically said gas retailers can't afford to do this. This thinking is narrow and selfish. He is not considering the overall cost of waiting on gas lines: lost productivity at places of work, with employees taking time to search for fuel; the value of time spent waiting on lines; the stress of seeing your fuel gauge nearing "E" because half the stations are closed. 
 What made the gas shortage particularly onerous was that some people needed fuel for generators that were providing heat and lighting for thousands. They couldn't get gas for their very basic needs. Is this worth it because retailers can't afford, or choose not to have, backup pumping systems? Do we really think that the expense to station owners exceeds the overall expense to the public? 
 Ken Weinstein, Rockville Centre &nbsp; 
 In the "forgotten zone" that is south of Merrick Road in <a href="/topics//Seaford,_NY">Seaford</a>, Day 10 dawned with no electricity and no clear communication of when an inspector would visit to clear my home to be re-energized. Even better, how does one get an inspector to one's home? The numbers for inspectors provided by local officials are continually busy, and articles in Newsday advised that inspectors would be going door to door. So one had better be home waiting for the inspector? I guess going to warming shelters was out of the question. 
 How is it possible that in a county with one of the highest tax rates, citizens were left in this position? How is it that LIPA's crisis management team didn't learn from Irene? 
 Here's my suggestion: All of LIPA's top management should have the power and heat turned off in their homes, and only restored once electricity has been restored to everyone else. Then we would all have electricity back by Day 3! 
 Debra M. Eannel, <a href="/topics//Seaford,_NY">Seaford</a> Harbor &nbsp; 
 It's clearly been a trying time for so many of us on Long Island. So many families are dealing with property damage and coping without power or gas. Information is so critical during times like this; without it, you feel like you no longer have control of your lives. 
 That said, there was one thing we could count on: Our Newsday was delivered every morning without fail throughout the worst. Without Newsday, we'd have a very hard time knowing what was going on. The information regarding whom to call and what to do to stay warm and safe has been extremely helpful, as so many of us did not have the ability to go online, watch TV or even listen to a radio. 
 One can only imagine that your staff was affected too, but you kept it going for the rest of us. Thank you, Newsday! 
 Lori Engler Ginsburg, West Islip &nbsp; 
 Can we talk? We Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>, New Yorkers, Americans. We need to have a conversation that has been put off for far too long. 
 This storm, Sandy, has been an unmitigated disaster for Long Island and our region. A very large part of this disaster is the widespread loss of power. This conversation is not about piling on LIPA and National Grid (though they richly deserve it). It is about that conversation we have after every major storm: putting the wires underground. 
 After every major storm, many Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> ask why we don't put the wires underground. And after every major storm, LIPA replies, because it would be too expensive. Too expensive for whom? 
 Would it be too expensive for all the businesses that could not function without electricity; for workers with no way to get to work; for our kids missing a week of school; or for municipalities that have to deal with protecting citizens from downed wires? 
 As Govs. Andrew M. Cuomo and Chris Christie and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have hinted, we are in a different era -- an era in which the proverbial 100-year storm seems to come every two to five years. They have hinted that this is <a href="/topics//Global_Warming">climate change</a>, and we cannot just keep patching our region back together to see it knocked apart two years later. Seawalls must be built higher, and the wires must be put underground! 
 We must stop looking at electricity from LIPA's point of view. We the people need to take back our country. Perhaps we need big government to help, and to build a smarter grid in the process, but the wires must go underground! 
 New York City figured this out 108 years ago when the trains and electrical grid went underground. Maybe it was OK to be 100 years behind the times in our thinking, but not 108. The wires must go underground! 
 Bruce G. Miller, Port Jefferson &nbsp; 
 Our house in <a href="/topics//Lindenhurst,_NY">Lindenhurst</a>, like thousands of others on Long Island, was severely damaged by superstorm Sandy. We're now cleaning up and repairing that which was destroyed. We can't live in the property, but thankfully we have a place to stay that's warm and safe. 
 I know that everyone affected is living in the now, focused on what they need to do to just to get through the day, so that they can move on to the next day. That might mean ripping out damaged Sheetrock, flooring, insulation, wiring and hauling damaged furniture and personal property out to the street. It may even mean, for some, to just find a warm bed and food and even batteries to power a flashlight, so they can see in the dark. 
 Then there are our leaders and the tasks they have to undertake to get us back on the path of normalcy. I want to point out things that should be considered for the future, specifically for those who live in flood zones. 
 In 2001, my wife and I realized a dream of not only home ownership, but also being able to afford a house on the water. We immediately fell in love, not just with the house, but also with the waterfront lifestyle. Our children also have fallen in love with living on the water, boating to various Great South Bay coves to swim, jaunts to Fire Island and just cruising out in the bay on a lazy summer afternoon. In the 11 years, we never had damage due to flooding until last year's Irene and this year's Sandy. 
 Irene took out our boiler and hot water heater, which is nothing compared to what Sandy destroyed. Sandy took out our entire first floor and all of its contents. The damages last year dollar-wise were about $10,000; I haven't even figured out yet what this storm's damages will cost, but I am sure the figure will be much greater. If the house sat just another three feet higher, it would have been fine from a flood perspective. 
 My family and I want to stay in our home. We love our house, neighborhood, schools and lifestyle on the water. I just don't want to have to worry that every hurricane or nor'easter might put us and others like us through the same problems. Elevating our properties is now a must, but it has costs that some might find prohibitive. 
 FEMA's website shows a program called Flood Mitigation Assistance specifically designed to elevate homes in flood zones. Apparently, only states and local governments can apply for the program. 
 The purpose of this letter is to bring this information to the public's attention. Millions (dare I say billions) of dollars in damages might be avoided if properties like mine were raised high enough to avoid flood damage. 
 Joe Garcia, <a href="/topics//Lindenhurst,_NY">Lindenhurst</a> &nbsp; 
 In addition to weeks in the dark freezing, many Long Islanders question why traffic lights were out for weeks without any police directing traffic? Another example of our tax dollars at work? 
 Stuart Sinclair, Old Bethpage &nbsp; 
 We cannot fault anyone for their anger at the power company or the government for the response and handling of this disaster. The tragedy is that it was entirely foreseeable and preventable. No, not the storm and not the sorrow of lives lost, and not the property destruction, But the untenable and unmanageable power outage. 
 This was a classic case of Franklin's ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It's even more maddening that unless the problem of overhead power lines is corrected, this is going to happen again and all too soon. 
 The power lines are an eyesore. The poles to which they are attached are a menace to the roads. The intertwining tree branches are a constant, costly, time-consuming effort to trim. We need to trench the power lines underground. 
 So why has a warning so obvious gone unheeded here for so long? The answer is the usual one. Sure we've been told what a logistical nightmare it is to bury the wires. But we all know that the people in charge felt it was cheaper to leave them in place. 
 Unfortunately, the ounce of cost to prevent outages has turned into a pound of cost to repair. Just the cost of food loss in the refrigerator from the last two storms would have significantly defrayed the cost to put the wires underground. And can we put a price on the suffering and inconvenience? 
 It is well into the 21st century. Underground power lines are not a novel idea. They seem to be everywhere but here. Our natural gas lines are underground already. Almost none of us had a problem with those from the storm. Could there be a better time to put an end to the 20th century nightmare of our trees meshed with overhead power lines? 
 Mitchell Ehrlich, Old Westbury

Letters

OPLTRV.WEB

Letters: Superstorm Sandy reminds us of Long Island's vulnerability

liSANDY - cropped

Our lives and property were spared after "Frankenstorm" Sandy, and we are extremely fortunate. 
Material goods, although nice are not that important -- life is precious. This Thanksgiving will be especially more meaningful. We feel blessed to have survived the storm, to have shelter, heat, food, clean water and meaningful relationships and experiences with family, friends, and neighbors. Thank you!
Alisa Kremer-Parrott, West Sayville
P.S. My husband is a New York City firefighter and he hasn't been home for over a week due to the storm. Hopefully, he'll get home soon!
 Today (Nov. 11) Newsday's Travel section had an article on Cinque Terre, Italy's devastation from a flood and mudslides, one year ago.
Writer Rick Steves was "amazed by the progress and moved by the locals' devotion to restoring their chunk of Mediterranean paradise." 
Although these villages may be much smaller than the area of devastation in New York and New Jersey, this article should be an inspiration for us to move quickly to restore our villages. This is not the time for politics and petty arguments. Lets get together and restore our beautiful seaside villages for the benefit of not only the homeowners, but also for the benefit of all who live in this beautiful area and tourists. We cannot afford to bicker. Let's get it done.
Jacqueline B. Gunder, Islip 
Here's an idea for now and the future: When there are gasoline shortages, clogged roadways, railroad cancellations, bridge and tunnel closures, close all schools for one week in New York City, Suffolk County and Nassau County and free up thousands of school buses. 
This would be the ultimate form of car pooling, get many vehicles off the roads and dramatically cut down on gas usage. Further, let passengers ride free. Thousands, if not millions of people, would use the buses to commute to work and for other reasons. Staging areas would be the local schools in suburbia, since those parking lots would be empty. The buses could be assigned exclusive use of the HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway and any other roadways. 
Jeffrey Myles Klein, Centereach 
As a devoted volunteer for many social justice groups -- Occupy Wall Street/Occupy the Rockaways, Sandy/Long Island Food Not Bombs and others -- I would like to thank my peers for their energy, passion, commitment and know-how. 
We volunteers devote our free time to setting up and transporting donation bins full of clothing, shoes, coats, etc. We also conduct outreach work with other organizations and businesses, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and some small businesses that allow donation bins on their premises. 
I am working alongside the FEMA camp at Nassau Community College, dropping off donations for displaced seniors and children at a temporary shelter.
Other activists are organizing in the Rockaways to provide food and clothing to those hit hard.
Although "Occupiers" are drawn by outsiders and the media alike (at times) in a negative, irrational light, by mainstream America, more often than not; we are indeed your educated, empathetic, respectful neighbors, educators, friends and your family. We are the ones who are out there in the rain, snow, and heat providing much needed "supplies" to those in need in our very own backyards! We preach and live by the philosophy of solidarity, not charity.
Eileen Scanlon Christofi, Bethpage 
I have three suggestions for alleviating some of any future gas line problems:
1) Require all stations to have a least one pump open for the filling of cans only.
2) Require all stations to have a least one pump open that charges a $10 surcharge per gallon. The surcharge would go to the Red Cross or other relief agencies.
3) Ban the topping-off of tanks. One must be at a quarter of a tank or less.
Ron Enners, W. Babylon 
The Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council wishes to thank Newsday for publishing of branch schedules for Monday's commute. With many commuters facing lack of power and information, Newsday's publishing of this vital information was invaluable. Good work Newsday.
Mark J. Epstein, Melville
Editor's note: The writer is chairman of the Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council. 
I write to express my deepest gratitude to your paper and, most important, to reporter Jo Napolitano. She walked the streets of my family's neighborhood, listening to and sympathizing with its residents, and reported my family's story in our time of need. 
I am sure that it is because of her story, "Disempowered: Family of stroke patient who relies on machines struggles during LIPA outage" [News, Nov. 10] that LIPA took notice of our dire situation and restored our power. 
Tonight we ate dinner as a family. I cooked on the stove, not having to use the mini propane burner in the garage, and pureed my dad's food in one shot (without worrying about tripping the generator). The heat is on, the hospital bed is working and the breathing machine is buzzing away! In short, life is good.
Thanks also to Karen Sullivan of Soundview Heating &amp; Air Conditioning of Port Jefferson Station. She selflessly offered to donate a new boiler and service, when she read that ours was malfunctioning. I'm happy to say that we did not need her services. Still, it warms my soul to know that there are great people like her and her husband who are willing to help those in need. 
I live and breathe for the great man who is my father. Sandy put him in jeopardy, but thankfully, she was defeated by your reporting and by the caring people in our community.
Jasmin Vrban, St. James 
There is hope for this world, after all. The two storms have reaffirmed this. What are we talking about? How two religions can coexist without violence and bloodshed. 
After Sandy hit, we lost our power, heat and hot water. We managed to survive by the generosity of others who didn't lose power. We thank all of them for their help. Two families in particular stick out.
We are Jewish; both those families are Muslim. Our religions didn't matter. We were a family in need and they stepped up and helped us. They opened up their homes and allowed us to shower, do laundry and, more important, gave us a place to stay warm for a few hours and have a hot meal. 
The world would be a better place if everyone didn't care about what religion you were and just saw you as a person. These families are proof of that.
Faith Wallach and Bret P. Wallach, Hicksville 
On NBC News, I saw a man who drove from Georgia to bring food and supplies to the Rockaways. He brought grits and other Southern-style foods. He said the people liked it. His ministry took up a collection and off he went to help those in need. 
That is religion defined: Someone is hungry or in need and you feed them, help them. Whether the person is 10 yards, 100 miles or 10,000 miles away, if you helped, you made a difference. Being humane defines what human potential is.
Steven Taub, Melville 
 Sanitation workers from the Town of Oyster Bay have been working around the clock to ensure that the debris is rapidly collected and discarded. Community volunteers, including children accompanied by parents, have been supplying residents with snacks, beverages, and cleaning supplies. Neighbors are developing friendships as they offer an ear or lend a hand. 
I do believe there is truth in the saying: Every cloud has its silver lining! Our lives have been enriched by the special gestures of friends and strangers.
Barbara Wasserman, Massapequa 
I am one of the unfortunates who hasn't had power or heat for over a week, yet some of my neighbors are powered up and have been for a while. My bad luck, but my heart goes out to the people who have had it much worse.
I have met some of the utility crews from Michigan and Texas working in my area, and what a good group of people they are, friendly, courteous and hopeful. One even came by to inspect my yard personally to try to explain why I am not up yet. 
I want to thank those crews for unsettling their own lives to come and help us, it is much appreciated.
Kevin H Fox, Jericho 
I want to thank Sandy for bringing out the best in people. Neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers. For having us appreciate all that we have. For helping us realize what we have taken for granted. For giving us the opportunity to help others. For my neighbor Jerry, who lent me his extension cord, which he plugged into one of his outlets, so that I can have some power. For the Town of Oyster Bay's tremendous trash removal efforts. For God, for powering down the storm, or it could have been even worse. For all the people who called to see if we were safe. For my Aunt Neetie, who at 87 years old (but doesn't look a day over 70), insisted on cooking for us, even though she, too, had no power. For my neighbor Paul, who worked over 36 hours straight to help prevent looting. For our friends, who had no power, to allow us to welcome them into our home. And finally for my girlfriend, Eileen, who maintained our house as if we never had a storm.
 Pat Gangitano, Massapequa Park 
I would like to thank Newsday for being my main source of LIPA information while I went without power. I didn't get power back in my office until Nov. 9 and was still without power at home after that.
Unfortunately, Newsday couldn't impart much helpful information, since LIPA's policy changed from one day to the next.
I live in a flooded area and initially learned of the need for an electrical inspection from Newsday. I was enraged to read LIPA's chief operating officer's remark that "the homeowner has to do nothing more than to be at home to answer the door for an inspector."
In other words, people need to take time off from work and sit in a cold dark house day after day hoping that an inspector appears. What insensitivity and arrogance on the part of LIPA's Michael Hervey. He should have lost his job for this remark alone.
On a more positive note, I would like to acknowledge the phenomenal job that the Town of Oyster Bay has done with garbage removal. The sanitation trucks and bulldozers were a daily sight in my neighborhood, which was devastated by the storm.
Brenda DiDonato, Massapequa 
We had no power in our West Islip home from 7 p.m. Oct. 29 during the storm, until Nov. 4 at about 8 p.m.
Earlier in the day we watched a crew from Michigan working a few blocks away. 
Shortly after we left the work area our power came on. I know it's really hard to get along without electricity, but we are thankful that we still have our home and we must remember our neighbors who were not so fortunate. So many have lost so much and we are saddened. This was a major disaster of epic proportions and it will take months or perhaps years for some to recover.
We are also grateful to radio station "B103.1" for its News 12 simulcast and the heads-up for locating generators for us and our neighbors. Those broadcasts helped us keep up with the latest news as we sat by candlelight and listened to our portable AM/FM radio. Yup, we still have one of those!
William Bertini, West Islip 
Amid the tragedy of this horrific storm, the saying, "There, but for the grace of God go I" keeps coming to mind. This storm should be a wake-up call to all and a realization to many. 
My heart goes out to all affected and suffered losses in this storm. However, I wonder how many of people on Long Island will be humbled, thankful and more aware of others who are less fortunate and have struggled with housing and food issues all their lives. 
Once this tragedy is behind them and they have re-established themselves, will they still look at a homeless man in the subway quite the same way? Will they ride past in their luxury car looking down at a person in hand-me-down clothes?
You do not know how or why someone is in that position. Will these same privileged and blessed people remember that all it takes is one act of nature, one slip in the universe, and all can be lost? 
No one is immune, no one safe. This is a wake-up call to everyone. We must stop putting so much emphasis on the material and more on humanity. Not just for some but for everyone. 
Regla Gibson, St. Albans 
Did anyone notice the fantastic job the crews from Virginia were doing? The were extremely capable, fast and efficient. They were up and down my street assessing and repairing quickly and safely. 
Considering that they were from elsewhere, I was amazed at how quickly they found their way in and around Elmont, Stewart Manor and Floral Park. I happened to pick up their radio transmissions on my scanner and was immediately impressed with how they interacted with each other. LIPA could learn an awful lot about how to run a power company from the Virginia Electric and Power Co.!
Joe Contardi, Floral Park 
I saw news that some school superintendents regionally were considering petitioning the state to allow fewer than 180 days of instruction this year due to days lost to Sandy. 
Rather than reduce the required days, they should reduce the amount of other time off (vacations, recesses, breaks) this school year. Should snow days also cost school days, those should be made up as well from existing time off or by extending the school year.
Brenda Giovanneillo, Malverne 
I think we all know that we'd have fewer power outages if our transmission lines were buried. But that will take many years and millions of dollars. Until then, why don't the state and local governments mandate that primary power lines cannot have trees anywhere near them? Trees are great in suburban neighborhoods, but keep them away from the main lines that can cripple entire areas. I think the tree crews and LIPA guys are doing as good a job as can be expected, considering the damage. We have to start thinking a little more creatively.
Rick Hannsgen, West Islip

OPLTRR.WEB

Letters: The recovery from Sandy

liSKULdlp -- cropped

To Whom It May Concern at LIPA (A joke since no management at LIPA is the least bit concerned!): 
 I am a resident of Links Drive, <a href="/topics//Oceanside,_NY">Oceanside</a> (known as the Wedgewood area). I have now been without power for 10 days and counting, with no relief in sight. 
 There has not been a single LIPA truck in this area at all. I have heard 100 different stories about power restoration to this neighborhood -- frustrating! 
 Luckily, I had no flooding, no water damage to my house or cars. I empathize with those hit harder than myself. My daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live in <a href="/topics//Lido_Beach,_NY">Lido Beach</a> and were not as fortunate. However, family and friends in <a href="/topics//Long_Beach,_NY">Long Beach</a> are getting their power back, while this apparently "remote" area of <a href="/topics//Oceanside,_NY">Oceanside</a> has been completely forgotten. 
 LIPA, you want your payment by some due date, and now I demand a due date from you! Offer me a timeline or schedule of when some crew might arrive here. Are we not damaged enough in this neighborhood to get your attention? Do our pipes have to freeze, or our homes looted before you consider us for power? 
 Phyllis Goldstein, <a href="/topics//Oceanside,_NY">Oceanside</a> &nbsp; 
 LIPA/<a href="/topics//National_Grid">National Grid</a> has refused to <a href="/topics//Bury_FC">bury</a> their power lines, even when local communities have offered to share in the exorbitant cost that LIPA/<a href="/topics//National_Grid">National Grid</a> imposes. Instead, the company has proceeded to blight every community it serves with unsightly poles strung with rows of thick black wire and topped off with dangling transformers. We were told that this must be done for easy repair and cost effectiveness. 
 Now the truth comes out! LIPA's/<a href="/topics//National_Grid">National Grid</a>'s 19th-century technology has cost us lives and billions in lost revenue from commerce. Businesses are shuttered because the lines cannot be repaired easily. Meanwhile, people with buried lines are up and running with power. 
 <a href="/topics//Bury_FC">Bury</a> the lines! 
 Laurann Pandelakis, <a href="/topics//Manhasset,_NY">Manhasset</a> &nbsp; 
 I just want to express my own opinion regarding the unpreparedness of LIPA. There were days when the weather channel was warning of a dangerous situation. I live in <a href="/topics//Bethpage_State_Park,_NY">Bethpage</a> and have been out of heat and electricity since 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29. 
 In all that time, I have not seen one LIPA truck. Only the Town of <a href="/topics//Oyster_Bay,_NY">Oyster Bay</a> trucks have been picking up <a href="/topics//Garbage_(band)">garbage</a> and clearing the streets of snow from the nor'easter. Last night, the <a href="/topics//Bethpage_State_Park,_NY">Bethpage</a> Fire Department came around our area and were announcing on the bullhorn that they will be serving dinner tonight between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. for our few blocks that are without power. 
 St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Kearny and Stewart Avenue never lost power, and their pastor came around to each house and said to come there and get hot food, water and beverages, and to charge laptops and cell phones since Day 1. I have to heartfully thank St. Paul's and the <a href="/topics//Bethpage_State_Park,_NY">Bethpage</a> Fire Department. 
 Maureen Hart, <a href="/topics//Bethpage_State_Park,_NY">Bethpage</a> &nbsp; 
 Sandy was a monster. After Irene, I was without power for five or six days -- I never got any information from LIPA but got lots of apologies and a promise, that was reported in Newsday, that if there was a next time, there would be a new and better type of communication. What happened, and who dropped the ball? 
 Steve Winn, <a href="/topics//Great_Neck,_NY">Great Neck</a> &nbsp; 
 I live on Colonial Place in <a href="/topics//Baldwin,_NY">Baldwin</a>. We have been without lights for 11 days for no apparent reason. We've tried many times to communicate to LIPA to no avail. We are one of 20 families without lights. Is there anything you can possibly do to expedite the return of our electricity? 
 Michael Woythaler, <a href="/topics//Baldwin,_NY">Baldwin</a> &nbsp; 
 I am a retired electrician. Many times, I and other union members have been called to work for LIPA to restore power for communities and individual homes on <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>. 
 IBEW Local 25 has 500 to 1,000 qualified electricians (many currently unemployed) and trucks that could help restore power and heat. At a time when speed and efficiency is the most important concern, who is more qualified than the people who live and work here? We know the roads, streets, towns and villages, and we would be working for our neighbors and friends. 
 Call our politicians to ask why, during the worst storm anyone can remember and with 900,000 homes without power, no one at LIPA thought to call our own <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> electricians! 
 Ken Udle, <a href="/topics//Commack,_NY">Commack</a> &nbsp; 
 Given their performance in the wake of the hurricane Sandy debacle, here are some proposed changes to the LIPA acronym: 
 1. Let's Ignite Peoples' Anger 
 2. Leave Immobilized Power lines Alone 
 3. Leadership Inept, Public Abandoned 
 4. Or how about just The <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> Procrastination Authority? 
 Mike Mejia, Plainview &nbsp; 
 I just had my power restored this afternoon. For eight days, I received useless texts from LIPA. Following LIPA's lead, in lieu of payment this month, I will be forwarding the following email to LIPA: 
 Dear LIPA: Nov. 7: Nearly 60 percent of this month's bills have been paid. Most other creditors will receive payment on or about Nov. 15. Utilities annoying me with useless, ridiculous texts will wait an additional month or more. Will advise when new information is available. 
 MaryAnn Chirichella, Woodbury &nbsp; 
 Can someone please find out whether all the executives at LIPA have their power on at their homes? What a coincidence that would be. 
 What major infrastructure changes to the power supply will be made after this debacle? 
 Michael Finnegan, Fort Salonga &nbsp; 
 Why is LIPA the only player being hammered? True, two weeks is a long time to go without power. But have any of the critics seen the amount of damage that must be repaired? The men and women of LIPA and the other utilties are working 12 to 16 hours a day. Many of them also are without lights. Give it a rest. 
 What about the failure of the <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> Rail Road? Or the city's inability to have its tunnels and bridges operating? Or the fact that the city's transit is not fully operable? 
 And the governor's fix for the gasoline shortage: ration when people can buy gasoline. That is an admission of failure to provide basic needs. Or FEMA offering food and water, but for only two hours a day? 
 There is plenty of blame to go around. Stop pointing fingers. 
 Dave Miller, Central Islip &nbsp; 
 I would like to encourage all Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>, when this is over, to question our state leaders about why are we paying among the highest electric rates in the country for this subpar, uncoordinated effort? It is a travesty, and my prayers go out to everyone. Our kids can't even go to school. 
 With this being said, I am amazed over what I saw on News 12, where elected officials from the state and towns were standing together and pleading for federal help on a grand scale, from the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and other federal agencies. The request is unprecedented. The reason why this is amazing is because, just a few days ago, Newsday endorsed Mitt Romney who said FEMA should be privatized, and the federal government should not have a role in disasters. 
 This news conference shows that no one wants government until they have a life-shattering experience, or rather a need for government. That is why our politics should not be whether about government is bad, but about government making a difference for its people and working more efficiently. 
 Everything that Obama campaigned on -- better infrastructure all over America, climate change -- we are suffering because we haven't implemented anything because of political gridlock. 
 Everyone needs to face the facts that our state and city government seemed totally unprepared for something on this scale. Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> should now realize that we have a need for government in our everyday lives, and unfortunately we learned this the hard way. We feel this, it is palpable and hard. 
 We lived to see we are now the ones that need that light of hope and assistance, not just the poor, or downtrodden. 
 Jean Pettway, <a href="/topics//Baldwin,_NY">Baldwin</a> &nbsp; 
 While lying in the dark listening to late-night radio, I heard this past week that out-of-town power company trucks were clustered at different locations in Nassau County, waiting for hours because they were not given orders on where to go or what to do by a LIPA supervisor. 
 I personally saw this yesterday in <a href="/topics//Smithtown,_NY">Smithtown</a> at the Uncle Giuseppie's parking lot on Route 111: at least 12 out-of-state repair crews were just waiting there for instructions from LIPA for more than half a day. 
 The only reason I finally got power back late Saturday night is that I flagged down a truck from Michigan that afternoon and showed them my power line that had been broken by a falling tree. It was just lying on the ground, and they got out and fixed it, so that power could be restored to the entire street. 
 LIPA has proven to be a total failure in consecutive storms and emergencies. We must have a change. 
 Haig Chekenian, <a href="/topics//Smithtown,_NY">Smithtown</a> &nbsp; 
 LIPA, your customers understand that it will take some time to repair our power infrastructure. However, your customers do not understand the difficulty you have in communicating the status of your work. 
 A great example of this difficulty is the outage map you recently updated. It is less than useless. Why can't you simply use a Google map, and color the streets red or green as to whether they have power or not? It would be very specific and very useful for people to know whether they can get back to their homes. This would provide very useful progress data to your customers. 
 It scares me that LIPA thinks that the new map, or the customer data that is currently provided, helps inform their customers. 
 William Hogan, Dix Hills &nbsp; 
 LIPA's management insults the intelligence of its customers while stealing their meager remaining telephone power by forcing them to listen to a lengthy rant about how many homes are without power, etc., etc., when they call to report a line down or other dangerous conditions. Furthermore, advising such callers to use the Internet is ludicrous. The world wide web is not a substitute for boots on the ground. 
 Lillian Polak, Bellmore &nbsp; 
 Headlines in Newsday such as "Warnings unheeded," "LIPA's inspection folly" and of course, "Why LIPA failed," chronicle the continuing systemic incompetence and arrogance of LIPA management. Two telling items in those stories summarize for me exactly why LIPA failed and will continue to do so. 
 First, in reaction to crticism of LIPA by Gov. Andrew M. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> and other elected officials, we have LIPA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey's arrogant, "I'm not trading barbs" comment. 
 Second, the fact that LIPA is run by a 15-member board of non-utility professionals that includes lawyers, bankers and accountants. Clearly what LIPA suffers from is a deadly combination of arrogance, incompetence and greed. 
 Until that changes, either by legislation putting LIPA under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission or by a complete change in management, Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> can expect to continue paying among the highest electric rates in the country while LIPA continues to fail again and again and again. 
 Paul Mazurkewitz, West Babylon &nbsp; 
 Newday's exclusive "Warnings unheeded" is a damning report of LIPA's broken system. Further damning evidence: Check out the file from 2008 showing over 40 LIPA executives earning $100,000-plus salaries. 
 We are grateful for the dangerous work of linemen, but the executives, having failed to update the system, have not earned their keep. Dante has a circle of Hell for greed and one for fraud. Choose one for these executives. 
 Harold Slamovitz, Greenlawn &nbsp; 
 After multiple attempts and long waiting times, I connected with the LIPA emergency number to report a downed wire. My pole and house connections appeared to be intact, however, the wire was dangling about three feet above the ground. I was concerned that if power was restored, it might create a fire hazard. 
 Given the suffering and distress visited on some of our fellow New Yorkers, I considered myself fortunate with the minimal damage to my house and 11 days without power. With that in mind, I made the call and prepared myself for every negative scenario I could imagine. 
 Unfortunately, the LIPA representative presented me with the one response that completely escaped reason. She told me that it was my responsibility to call an electrician to repair any damaged connections to my house beyond the power meter -- not what I needed to hear. 
 Gov. Cuomo, if this isn't grounds to revoke the license granted to LIPA by New York State, I fear the next hostile visit by Mother Nature will re-define the term catastrophe. 
 Ed Weinert, Melville

OPLTRL.WEB

Letters: LIPA's role in recovering from superstorm Sandy

88 National Grid - Sandy - Cropped

For many, many years kindhearted Americans have helped unfortunate people throughout the world who suffered through wars, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Helping with food, housing, clothing and medical services. 
 Where are <a href="/topics//China">China</a>, Japan, Russia, France, Germany and Italy, along with numerous other countries throughout the world? Where were they when thousands of people died and lost their homes from <a href="/topics//Hurricane_Katrina">Hurricane Katrina</a>? 
 Where are they now, while hundreds of our citizens claw through the rubble of their homes, hoping to find a cherished memento of their lost lives, which were swept out to the Atlantic Ocean with its deadly waves? 
 Oh! That's OK, the Americans are rich, they don't need help. 
 Well, we would be a lot richer if we didn't pour billions of dollars into countries that have been ungrateful and uncaring about our needs. 
 America, take care of your own. The money we have sent overseas could have helped our own. 
 The poor in Appalachia that live in crumbling shacks, without heat, running water or toilet facilities. What about our once-proud Native Americans who used to roam our thousands of acres, who now live penned up on reservations? What of the thousands of young children who go to bed each night crying from hunger? 
 <a href="/topics//Joseph_(designer)">Joseph</a> A. Fackovec, <a href="/topics//North_Bellmore,_NY">North Bellmore</a> &nbsp; 
 The following questions are for Gov. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> and all our other leaders: Why was gas not stockpiled before the storm? Why were the tankers not sent immediately after the storm? The tankers should have already been in transit and remained out of harm's way until the ports were opened. 
 Why were generators not stockpiled for delivery to gas stations and for other uses? Why didn't the <a href="/topics//Long_Island_Power_Authority">Long Island Power Authority</a> have trucks deployed throughout many areas? Why must we pay billions for recovery but refuse to pay to put our electric lines underground to eliminate such catastrophes? 
 What I've said is <a href="/topics//Common_(musician)">common</a> sense, something our leaders do not have. 
 Al Zanone, Elmont &nbsp; 
 Regarding <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a>'s visit to inspect the hurricane damage, thanks, but no thanks. 
 <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a>'s travail should not be a backdrop for a presidential photo on his way to his Asian tour. He already got what he needed from superstorm Sandy: photos with, and praise from one of Mitt Romney's biggest supporters, <a href="/topics//New_Jersey">New Jersey</a> Gov. Chris <a href="/topics//Christopher_J._Christie">Christie</a>, right before the election. 
 <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">Obama</a> should just let the people on the ground do their jobs. He already got what he wanted here. 
 Richard P. DeBragga, Bellport &nbsp; 
 It would be very helpful if the media informed Gov. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Andrew M. Cuomo</a> and other politicians that <a href="/topics//New_Jersey">New Jersey</a> had it right when Gov. <a href="/topics//Christopher_J._Christie">Chris Christie</a> did not hesitate to implement odd-even license plate gas-up procedures. 
 <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> needs innovative and proactive decision making. I do not see it happening here with respect to the present political group in charge in this ongoing gas rat race. 
 Todd Hansen, <a href="/topics//Bellmore,_NY">Bellmore</a> &nbsp; 
 Gov. Andrew M. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> has had numerous press conferences praising every politician from Hempstead to Montauk for the great job they are doing regarding Sandy. At the same time, the governor threatens to replace LIPA management, or the utility itself, because it did not anticipate power being lost islandwide as a result of one of the worst storms in our history. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> says their response was inadequate and unacceptable. 
 Does he think LIPA could have a crew stationed at every intersection in Nassau and <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a>? Does he believe that hundreds of trucks and crews could magically appear to repair unimaginable numbers of downed wires, poles and blown transformers? 
 Also, it was difficult for LIPA to communicate with electronic outages. I am 80 years old and was without light or heat for seven days. The harassed management and hardworking, overworked crews of LIPA would be the last people I would criticize for an act of God. 
 Perhaps <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> should have the state pay for more personnel and equipment, so LIPA can be better prepared for the next hurricane. 
 Edward J. Kohout 
 Smithtown &nbsp; 
 I strongly believe that Gov. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Andrew M. Cuomo</a> has made a scapegoat out of his emergency chief, Steven Kuhr. Every time I look at the governor on television, he looks like he is ready to lash out at someone -- anyone! 
 Kuhr was not even home -- he was reportedly working at an emergency command center in Albany, hundreds of miles from East Northport -- when he asked to have a tree removed from his home. 
 Catherine Kropf Harris, Levittown &nbsp; 
 I am sympathetic to the people waiting in line for hours to purchase gasoline. Newsday suggested that many people were "topping off." I feel Gov. Cuomo should have invoked the odd-even system earlier to relieve the lines. 
 Robert Carciello, Medford &nbsp; 
 If superstorm Sandy and its aftermath wasn't so tragic, the ensuing drama would surely be laughable. First, we have the three blind mice -- LIPA, the government, and the people who are purposely kept blind by the first two for their own political expediency. 
 <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a> comes to <a href="/topics//New_Jersey">New Jersey</a>, gets a bear hug from <a href="/topics//Christopher_J._Christie">Christie</a>, the photo op that he needed. <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">Obama</a> didn't even set foot on the Island, and the federal response has been more tepid and ineffectual than former President George W. Bush's Katrina response, but the liberal leftist media protects this president's interests by ignoring the truth. 
 Now Cumo wants to lay total blame on LIPA for the mess we are in, continually chanting, they will be held accountable. But who is holding him accountable? If it is true that LIPA was not prepared for a major storm, why was this not a priority on the governor's to-do list when he took office? Should not the state government also be held accountable? 
 Ted Oberg, Islip &nbsp; 
 As my lady friend and I drove through Wantagh and <a href="/topics//Freeport,_NY">Freeport</a>, we couldn't have imagined the magnitude of destruction we witnessed there. 
 Houseboats 200 yards up residential streets, coming to rest on some homeowner's lawn. Red Cross vans bringing sustenance to waiting residents on streets closest to the water's fury. Our favorite watering holes on <a href="/topics//Freeport,_NY">Freeport</a>'s nautical mile burned up. 
 This is two major storms in 14 months on my beloved <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a>. We can't very well pave over the trees that knocked down power lines and plunged <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> into darkness, and cost <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> and the vicinity billions of dollars and hardship. But we should be able to bury the power lines underground. 
 Where would this money come from? Slash a third of the military budget and spend it on our electrical grid. The alternative is we could become another Holland. 
 Larry Vaughn, East Meadow &nbsp; 
 I would like to respond to our governor and local officials' criticism of LIPA. Where were you guys back in the 1980s, when you stuck the ratepayers on <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> with a $6 billion pricetag for a plant we will never use? 
 I think it's ironic that the current governor is asking LIPA to upgrade the system, when it was his father as governor who forced the old utility to close Shoreham. We have some of the highest rates in the country. Can you imagine the utility requesting an increase to upgrade their system? 
 Bob Boccafola, St. James &nbsp; 
 So the governor blames LIPA for the poor response to Sandy, but who appoints the LIPA board? Why, it's the governor, the leader of the State Senate and the Assembly leader. 
 The board is comprised of 15 members, but only 10 of the seats are filled. They are mostly lawyers, bankers and accountants, not people with firsthand knowledge of how to run an electric company. Then the politicians complain that the board doesn't know what it is doing to handle an emergency. Who really is at fault? 
 Ed Rose, <a href="/topics//Seaford,_NY">Seaford</a> &nbsp; 
 LIPA has 10 members on the board, with five seats left empty. I have a few questions regarding these members holding positions of responsibility. How many of them have power in their own homes -- and since when? -- while many Long Islanders are still in the dark? 
 How many of them are on the ground making sure the restoration efforts are being implemented properly? While finding out this information, let's also find out when the president and at least 10 of the top officials of LIPA got their power back. 
 I would also like to know which politician appointed which board members, so if these board members are not doing their jobs properly, we can hold the politicians responsible in the next election cycle. 
 Answers to these questions, at the very least, will give us a clearer picture of how the utility is run. When things have settled down there should be a public hearing where all the questions and concerns from the community are addressed, and a future debacle like this could be avoided. 
 Siraj Begum, Searingtown &nbsp; 
 I haven't read one word in the media about any donations to devastated Sandy storm victims from our allies and other neutral countries from around the world. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, Israel and other well-to-do countries should be ashamed of their lack of response. 
 It's ironic that the United States always steps up to donate for tragedies of all kinds that take place throughout the world, but there is nothing donated to us. 
 Joe Giacoponello, Garden City &nbsp; 
 When <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a> stepped to the microphone and pledged to cut through all the red tape and help those affected by superstorm Sandy, he and I both understood the same thing: He could sound presidential that day but no one could disprove his words until after everyone voted on Election Day. 
 It worked, and we, for the worse, have <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">Obama</a> for his second term. That he and his handlers knew that does not make him any more presidential. It does show off the skills that got him elected in the first place: a great sense of timing and abundant political expedience. 
 But, how does that help those devastated in the communities of Long Beach, Point Lookout, Atlantic Beach, East Rockaway, Oceanside, <a href="/topics//Seaford,_NY">Seaford</a>, Massapequa, Amityville, Lindenhurst and Fire Island, among many others? And those still without power in Garden City, Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington and Manhasset, and many others? It does not help them at all. 
 Rich LePetri, Rockville Centre &nbsp; 
 Whenever I turn on the news, I see <a href="/topics//New_Jersey">New Jersey</a> Gov. <a href="/topics//Christopher_J._Christie">Chris Christie</a> on the ground, keeping the residents of his state informed in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. Why is <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> Gov. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Andrew M. Cuomo</a> not doing the same thing? 
 Cuomo should be taking charge, and he should also ensure that there are an adequate amount electrical inspectors whereever they are needed. 
 Long Island is dealing with a lot of pain right now, and we require a strong hand to do what's needed. We expect the governor to be that person. 
 Isidore Lewin, Oceanside &nbsp; 
 <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a> County was surely among the worst hit by this megastorm. So how does <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a> County Executive Steve Bellone respond? He mails out layoff letters to the union members working at our county nursing home, the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing &amp; Rehabilitation Facility which through the civil service process will affect hundreds of county workers in various departments. 
 In the midst of post-hurricane power outages, waterfront homes washed into the ocean, families becoming immediately homeless and lacking the very basic necessities for their children, and deaths reported islandwide, Bellone felt it was the most opportune time to alert hundreds of county workers of their impending termination. As if our county residents hadn't experienced enough doom. 
 As president of the <a href="/topics//Suffolk_County,_NY">Suffolk</a> County Association of Municipal Employees, and the union representation for the civilian portion of Bellone's government workforce, I reached out to those union members who received the heartless notification of impending unemployment. This news could have waited until power was restored and families were back safely in their homes. 
 Daniel P. Farrell, Bohemia

OPLTRP.WEB

Letters: The politics of recovering from Sandy

liSAND05

Don’t blame the <a href="/topics//Long_Island_Power_Authority">Long Island Power Authority</a> for everything. I took care of myself by installing a natural gas generator at my house. 
 If you drive around, you will see so many trees hanging next to the wires. I blame the towns and villages. They should have inspectors driving around and marking the trees that should come down. I must have spent at least $10,000 to have trees taken down so they will not hit my house. 
 Grace Bellomo, <a href="/topics//Port_Washington,_NY">Port Washington</a> 
 &nbsp; 
 After superstorm Sandy, our power was restored in six days. On that day, our relatives, a family of six, moved in with us from Rockaway. Their home was heavily damaged and their cars lost. 
 Our power went out again with the snowstorm. Eight people in a house without power is trying, but we tried to keep our chins up. The family went back and forth to Rockaway, cleaning out their home and bringing the kids to and from school to create some normalcy. Each night, they come home to a dark and cold house. 
 We very patiently called LIPA each day, and we felt we were falling between the cracks. Every day was a different story. At one point, we even received a call from LIPA telling us our power was back on, and it wasn’t. 
 The crew that finally came was cheerful, friendly and wouldn’t accept so much as a bottle of water. When my next LIPA bill comes, and they ask why I haven’t submitted payment yet, I will throw back at them some of their own excuses. 
 Gale McCormack, <a href="/topics//Old_Bethpage,_NY">Old Bethpage</a> 
 &nbsp; 
 Do you have power? How cold is your house? Can you drink the water or flush your toilet? How’s your car? 
 Going back just a few weeks ago, before Sandy, such questions would have elicited strange looks from friends and relatives. But after Oct. 29, it’s become almost de rigueur as a starter in most Long <a href="/topics//New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a>’ conversations, especially in <a href="/topics//Long_Beach,_NY">Long Beach</a>, where I live. 
 The initial shock of loss, almost like a death in the family, is now over for many, and numbness has set in. The above questions are being replaced by others, such as, is this the new normal? Why do these 100-year storms seem to come every few years? Is it time to start building an ark? Will LIPA give out flashlights, battery-operated heaters and inflatable boats before the next big one, as their executives surrender to the inevitable? 
 As for me, I’m making plans to head inland to a place where the only water comes from a faucet and my shower. 
 Mike Charles, <a href="/topics//Long_Beach,_NY">Long Beach</a> 
 &nbsp; 
 I read with interest the news of a class-action lawsuit against LIPA and <a href="/topics//National_Grid">National Grid</a> . Although it might sound like a good idea, it is not. 
 What we must all remember: Defending this lawsuit, paying for damages (if the plaintiffs are successful), and satisfying court costs will be paid for by the very people who are suing the utilities. 
 Gov. <a href="/topics//Andrew_Cuomo">Andrew M. Cuomo</a> has already ordered an investigation. If deficiencies and mismanagement are found, then make the appropriate changes. But to sue ourselves makes absolutely no sense. Aren’t our rates already too high? 
 Steven Donahue, Brookhaven

Letters: Aftermath of superstorm Sandy

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Letters: Readers respond to superstorm Sandy

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Readers respond to superstorm Sandy

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