Push to restore power to homes in flood zones

Since Thursday, officials from the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay have been providing LIPA officials with a list of flood-zone homes that are safe to have their power turned on because they did not sustain water damage. Hempstead submitted a final list Saturday night; Oyster Bay will complete its list no later than tomorrow or Tuesday.

Homes with varying degrees of flood damage have two options: Wait for an evaluation by Empire Electrical Inspectors of New York, an East Meadow-based LIPA contractor, or call a certified electrician and pay to have the repairs completed immediately.

If floodwaters reached electrical outlets, the circuit needs to be replaced and homeowners can bypass the evaluation and call a certified and insured electrician, said Pete Mastrorocco, Long Island Chapter Executive of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

In Suffolk County, where the evaluation process has been waived, homes in flood zones were expected to have their power restored last night, except for those severely damaged, said John Bruckner, president of National Grid.