The Blackout of Aug. 14 has the large national story, the local story and the personal stories of people all over the Northeast, including this area. For most people, this story turned out to be a happy one of coping well with a national disaster.

Locally the story began as 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 Midwest on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 4:14 p.m.

In Oyster Bay the power was back on at about 10:30 p.m. and went out again at about 1:30 a.m. to return during the early morning hours. In East Norwich parts of the unincorporated area had electricity on Friday evening, while others had to wait until Friday morning for service to return. Centre Island is used to having electricity outages during storms and as a result many homes have generators which minimized their problems during the blackout. They got their power back at around 4:30 a.m.

Muttontown Village Hall didn't recover enough to get all services running on Friday, but they had the help of Highway Commissioner "Raz" Tafuro who went around the village helping people, said Village Clerk Treasurer Vivien Van Wagner. "I think we did very well. It's really more difficult when you have a storm and have downed wires. Raz coordinated with our police department and service returned at varying times from early morning to late evening hours on Friday. Throughout Friday Raz was directing people on which gas station was open and where they could get coffee. Coffee was the big thing! The guy from Dunkin' Donuts opened in Syosset and told people his Oyster Bay facility was open.

"Jericho Turnpike got their power at about 6:30 a.m. and gas was pumping again by about 10 to 11 a.m. By the early afternoon there were no lines at the gas stations. Everyone seemed to maintain the spirit and people were doing things they wouldn't have been doing," she said.

That was true of East Norwich where neighbors came out to chat and the children had fun until dark when it was time to go to bed. Donna Meltzer said her husband Michael gave neighborhood children a lesson in astronomy, looking up at the stars. Around 7 p.m. the fire alarms sounded and they saw helicopters circling the area and residents wondered what happened. The next day they found out that there had been a fire at Shop & Stop.

Oyster Bay Fire Company Chief Ed McEvoy, was in charge of the Stop & Shop fire alarm that happened around 7:10 p.m. on Thursday. He said something malfunctioned with the generators, which triggered the sprinkler system to go off. That filled the basement with smoke. "We got the call minutes within when it happened. We arrived with four fire trucks and two ambulances. There were no injuries. We went in from the outside. When we pulled up we were told that there were possibly two employees trapped in the basement. When they opened the basement doors on the right side of the front of the building the two employees exited the building and there was a lot of smoke, which was normal in the circumstances. Whatever problem there was, the sprinklers had already extinguished. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Fire Marshal's office."

They were operating on their generator power after the blackout. They closed and people were evacuated from the building. They opened at about 11 a.m. on Friday. Chief McEvoy said they had to wait for the Nassau County Board of Health to check out their facility.

A Stop & Shop spokesperson called Monday afternoon to clarify the problem at the store. He said, "There was a malfunction in the generator and it was smoking, there was no real fire. The staff called the fire department and the water and electric systems were turned off. The Department of Agriculture representative came to check things out and it all ended with the fire inspector and Fire Marshal's Office at 10:45 a.m. on Friday telling them they were able to open."

Chief McEvoy said some of the firefighters stayed at the firehouse waiting for the next call to make sure anyone needing help got it. They delivered generators to some residents. "One person on a home oxygen tank needed a generator for his respirator unit. They had a spare tank of oxygen but were concerned about getting it filled.

"There were several automatic fire alarms, about three or four, that were set off as a result of the power outage. The sewer and water districts were out in force making sure all the pumps were staying on and that there was sufficient water pressure," said the chief.

Friends of the Bay Executive Director Louise Harrison visited the Oyster Bay Sewage Treatment Plant on Friday, Aug. 15, to see how they handled the power outage on Thursday, Aug. 14. "They are worth writing about! Their backup systems were in place and working, although the staff was working like dogs. There was no discharge into the bay and no problems at the pump stations," she said.

Bayville had electric service early Friday, which was a boon to the annual Swim-A-Cross. Half of Bayville got their power back on Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. and the other half at 4 a.m., Friday morning. The Swim-A-Cross sign in was at 10 a.m. on Centre Island beach in Bayville. Jim Green, spokesperson for the Nassau County Red Cross Chapter said they expected 170 swimmers for this year's event. "We had 139 swimmers, and although that was down from what we expected it was really good because of the blackout situation. It looked like more swimmers than usual but there were lots of family members there to support the swimmers. In spite of the blackout we still made it and still expect to meet our goal of raising $25,000.

"Interestingly, the Swim-A-Cross was a nice way to cool down after the blackout. Governor Pataki was opening the beaches, free and the same happened with the Town of Oyster Bay, so here was an interesting way to stay cool and win out over some not-so-perfect circumstances," said Mr. Green.

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. They were located at the Massapequa Park Village Hall, which was operated by the American Red Cross, the Nassau University Medical Center and at Glen Cove High School.

Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Chairman, Richard M. Kessel announced on Monday, Aug. 18, that LIPA's transmission and distribution system (T&D) was 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 E. 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 Mr. Kessel. "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

• Raise thermostats to 78 degrees

• Turn off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas

• Close 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.