The Long Island Power Authority's 1.1 million electric customers became part of the largest blackout in history when 50 million people lost electric service in the Northeast, portions of Canada and the mid-west on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 4:14 p.m.

On Friday, about 18 hours after the power outage began, many local communities, including those in the Town of Oyster Bay, still found themselves without power. Due to the continuing outage, Town Supervisor John Venditto implemented certain actions to ensure the safety of residents. All non-essential town personnel were released early from work and all town parks remained open, operating on a normal Friday schedule, including all evening sporting activities where power was restored. This continued throughout the weekend. Hours at community pools with power, including Bethpage, Marjorie R. Post in Massapequa and Plainview-Old Bethpage, as well as the Syosset-Woodbury and Tappen Pool in Glenwood Landing (once power there was restored) were extended until 10 p.m. through Sunday. In addition, all town park and beach fees were waived for the entire weekend. The supervisor also alerted residents that those without power on Friday were able to seek relief at a cooling center, which included Massapequa Park Village Hall, which was operated by the American Red Cross; Nassau University Medical Center and Glen Cove High School.

Local fire and police departments remained on high alert during the blackout and luckily there were not any major accidents or emergencies reported during the power outage. While portions of Farmingdale got power back early Friday morning, some parts of the village didn't until later that afternoon and the entire village didn't have power back until as late as 7 p.m. on Saturday. Many village residents called village hall to see if officials knew when the power may be back and running, but they too were "in the dark," depending on a backup generator for power.

Farmingdale Village Mayor Joseph Trudden, who was out of town during the blackout, kept in touch with village officials, the fire department and the superintendent of public works to make sure things in the village were going smoothly.

"We pump our own water here [and] we had diesel generators that continued pumping water," Mayor Trudden said, adding that the machines were monitored overnight to ensure that nothing broke down and residents continued to have a supply of water. "It was really, luckily, uneventful. Everybody cooperated and things went very smoothly."

"We were one of the longest, [Farmingdale] and Melville," the mayor said in regard to when the area's power was fully restored.

Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Chairman Richard Kessel has announced that LIPA's transmission and distribution system (T&D) is now operating normally and that LIPA will have a sufficient supply of electricity to meet Long Island's requirements for the work week. However, LIPA's residential and commercial customers are urged to follow Governor George Pataki's appeal to do everything possible to conserve energy throughout the week.

"For Long Island, the immediate crisis of the Blackout of 2003 is over, but Long Islanders must continue to use electricity prudently and conservatively," said Kessel on Monday, Aug. 18. "Long Island must start the work week focused on the need to eliminate non-essential electric consumption and avoid the use of all unnecessary electrical equipment and appliances."

Long Island's business community can play a major role in this effort by:

• shutting down underutilized copiers, computers and other office machines;

• raising thermostats to 78 degrees;

• turning off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas; and

• closing the blinds and shades to limit heat build-up and to preserve cooled air.

Energy efficient residential air-conditioning can save electricity, and help LIPA meet Long Island's energy needs. To get the most from your air-conditioning unit LIPA suggests the following:

• set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher for the most energy efficient operation,

• use fans to move the air inside your home. This gives the sensation that it is five degrees cooler than the actual temperature. Shade windows on the sunny side of your home. Keep drapes closed or add room-darkening shades to block out the heat from the sun,

• use a programmable thermostat to routinely raise the inside temperature while you are at work or routinely away from home for four hours or longer. Pre-set the thermostat to adjust back to your normal comfort range 1/2 hour before getting home. This automatic adjustment reduces the cumulative operation of the air conditioner while you are away, and eliminates any discomfort when you arrive home. You can contact LIPA to enroll in the LIPA Edge Program, a first-in-the-nation Internet-based air-conditioner control program,

• do not set the thermostat at a colder setting than normal when turning on the air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, wasted electricity and unnecessary expense.

LIPA has a wide range of energy conservation and efficiency programs and helpful tips that can help consumers reduce electric use and lower monthly bills. To find out more about these programs, customers can log on to www.lipower.org, or they can call LIPA's Energy Wise Infoline, at 1-800-692-2626.

The Long Island Power Authority owns the electric retail business on Long Island. LIPA provides electric service to nearly 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens.