LIPA: We won't fix everything Irene broke

Not every electric repair resulting from Irene will be fixed by the Long Island Power Authority.

During a morning briefing Wednesday, LIPA chief Michael Hervey noted that in cases where trees severed the connection to customers' meter pan, customers are responsible for getting it repaired themselves. Meter pans are the lunchbox-size devices into which electric meters are plugged.

"We'll try to connect them, but you will have to call an electrician to repair" those privately, Hervey said.

Customers who have been cooling food with ice from the local grocery also are on their own. LIPA earlier this week said ice is like any other storm preparation tool: Customers can buy it on their own. In decades past, the former Long Island Lighting Co. had made dry ice available.