STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Long Island residents’ anger continues to rise as power outages extend
- NEW: Politicians turn the anger on Long Island Power Authority
- Rationing is instituted to address gas shortage
- The gas crunch came after Superstorm Sandy and a nor’easter hit the area
(CNN) — Long Island residents who have been without power for 11 days expressed anger at elected officials at a rally Friday.
The politicians deftly redirected the anger at the Long Island Power Authority, whose job it is to restore power.
More than 172,000 area residents remained without power, following the one-two punch of Superstorm Sandy and this week’s nor’easter, according to LIPA.
Local and federal officials who stood to speak before residents in Oceanside on Long Island were met with boos and pointed questions about whether they themselves had power and how comfortable they were.
“What are you doing for us,” those in the crowd shouted.
More than one week after Superstorm Sandy hit, the Northeast prepares for a nor’easter, a strong low pressure system with powerful northeasterly winds coming from the ocean ahead of a storm. This satellite image captured at 11:01 a.m. ET on Friday, November 9, shows the winter storm over the East Coast. See photos of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Weather from space
Weather from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
Northeast storms from space
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After enduring the boos, Kate Murray, presiding supervisor for the town of Hempstead, suggested residents should ask themselves where the utility officials are.
“LIPA is the only entity that can turn on your electricity. Where are they?” she said. “They won’t talk to us. We call them every day; they won’t give us one answer.”
She successfully shifted the residents’ cries against the politicians into chants of “Where is LIPA? Where is LIPA?”
“LIPA has absolutely abrogated all of its duties,” she said. “They should be wiped off the face of the earth.”
No one from the utility was present to address the charges, though in a written statement, the company said it has more than 8,200 linemen and tree trimming crews making progress.
“When possible, we will restore power to customers who have been without power for the longest time,” the utility said in the statement. “Your safety and well-being remain our number one priority and we thank you for your continued patience during this difficult time.”
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-New York, tried to reassure residents that all their elected officials were working around the clock on their behalf.
“Everybody is suffering. We have to get through this together and we will get through this together,” she said.
New Yorkers also have been suffering from long lines for gasoline, though some relief was on the way Friday.
Leaders announced gas rationing in New York City and Long Island in an effort to address the gas shortage brought on by the storms.
“Drivers are still facing long lines, frustrations are only growing and it now appears that there will be shortages for possibly another couple of weeks,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters Thursday afternoon. “The best way, we think, to cut down the lines and help customers buy gas faster, to help gas stations stay open longer and to reduce the potential for disorder, is to alternate the days that drivers can purchase gas.”
The move brought applause from many.
“I think it will make the lines go down,” Sue Powers of Long Island told CNN affiliate NY1. “Waiting on line here for eight and a half hours is not fun.”
“It is smart because the lines will be half as long,” New Yorker Ryan Schroeder told the affiliate. “But if it is an emergency and you need gas on a certain day you may be out of luck, but for your average person it may be smart.”
New Jersey, where Sandy made landfall October 29, put similar rules into effect last week in 12 counties.
Hundreds of thousands of customers were without electricity across the region, most of them in New York and New Jersey, with the nor’easter that swept through Wednesday only adding to those totals.
Cold brings fresh misery to Sandy victims
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told reporters Thursday morning that the nor’easter was responsible for 167,000 new outages, but praised utility workers who were trying to get the lights and heat back on.
“These men and women on the utility companies are working 16-hour days, every day,” Christie said. “So — I know that unless your power is turned on, that doesn’t mean anything to you — but I’m telling you, I’ve watched these people work. They were working last night through the snow.”
Along with the relief from gasoline lines, residents will be getting a break after the nor’easter blanketed the area with snow.
Temperatures were expected to rise to 50 degrees on Friday and continue to rise close to the 60s over the weekend, forecasters said.
