Superstorm Sandy: 1 Year Later & Nothing Changes

Today is indeed a difficult anniversary for many to recall.  While we enjoyed beautiful skies and sunny weather this October 29th, last October 29th was a different story.  With the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the east coast of the U.S., Long Island was overwhelmed by one of the worst storms in its history.  So many people lost power, lost homes and lost lives.  There were many failures in the aftermath of the storm in the response by LIPA, our local, county and state governments; it is hard to pick a place where to begin.

But what is even more discouraging has been the lack of a post-hurricane plan which should have been implemented by now.  But so far, I don’t see anything.  And what might a plan look like?  Perhaps a strategy driven by Suffolk County to ensure a better method of communication to residents on what is happening, how serious is the damage, and when can residents expect to get their power back.  

If you recall, we had none of that in the days following Sandy.  What we did have were people lining up at gas stations hoping power would be restored. If you were lucky, you got a tank of gas in the first few days.  But by the end of the week, stations began to run our of fuel and people panicked.  Long lines followed and took over a week to implement odd/even gas rationing. Remember all those stations with pumps wrapped with yellow caution tape indicating no fuel?  It is a site I never wish to see again.

Since the storm the Moreland Commission, a New York State investigative commission, identified numerous failures in LIPA's response.  I am yet to meet a homeowner whose power was restored by LIPA and not by an out-of-state utility.  But waiting for the commission to provide a way forward may take too long.  

County government needs to improve on its preparation before major events which includes communication to residents before and after an event, assessments of damage to power lines and electric substations, and a list of critical supply items needed to sustain our communities such as gasoline, water, food, etc.  

What I have learned in my professional experience is that preparation is essential to success.  And when failures occur, blame and finger-pointing must give way to studying what went wrong, devising a plan to learn from and avoid mistakes, and then enacting the plan so the process is better.  It is just common sense and it is something I plan to spearhead when I am elected as a County Legislator.  My hope is we are not caught off guard once again when the next catastrophic event occurs.