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.

Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Chairman Richard Kessel recently 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.

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 Town of Oyster Bay also responded to the blackout by implementing certain actions to ensure the safety of residents. According to Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, 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.

According to Kristen Bryceland, community relations for North Shore Long Island Jewish Health Systems, the back-up generators at both North Shore University Hospital at Plainview and Syosset turned on and no major problems were reported.

Plainview Water District Superintendent Paul Granger and plant operators Keith Fleming and Joseph DiGregorio spent the night at the water district the night of the blackout to ensure the continuous delivery of potable water to Plainview-Old Bethpage residents. Since high capacity electric pump motors, ranging in capacity from 60 to 200 horsepower, provide the primary power required to draw water from the aquifer and then ultimately to the home, water district personnel had to be on-hand to make sure equipment running on back-up generators operated properly and adequate flows and pressures were maintained.

Additionally, distribution manager John Speciale, plant operator Michael Gelé and attendant Jeff Zebrowski remained on after hours to stand-by in order to provide emergency assistance should conditions have deteriorated. Meanwhile, Commissioners Kevin Langberg, Joel Kessler and Edward Shulroff were on-hand at the water district and continued to monitor the situation via constant communication with Superintendent Granger.

"I am very proud of the performance by the water district staff during this recent emergency situation," stated Commissioner Langberg. "Through their efforts, an uncomfortable situation was stabilized with virtually no interruptions to our customers. Our residents should take comfort in knowing that their water district personnel are dedicated professionals, who are responsible for maintaining our water supply."

The American Red Cross in Nassau County (ARC/Nassau) urges residents to always be prepared.

"Disasters strike every eight minutes, but people rarely think that they will be affected by one," said Esther Bevers-Ng, ARC/Nassau director of emergency services. "When something as large-scale as a multi-city blackout occurs, it can be a real lesson to many families that they aren't as ready as they need to be."

In some parts of Nassau County, families spent more than 24 hours with no electricity. "Being prepared and planning ahead are essential," Bevers-Ng said. "This is a perfect example of why people need to have a disaster supplies kit and an emergency plan ready before a disaster occurs."

Helping Americans prepare for the unexpected has been a longtime priority of the Red Cross, which launched an initiative last February to heighten disaster emergency awareness. Called "Together We Prepare," the campaign encourages people to take the five following preparedness steps: make an emergency plan, build a disaster supplies kit, get trained in lifesaving skills, volunteer and give blood.

According to a poll conducted by the Red Cross in February, 41 percent of all Americans have a disaster supplies kit, containing items such as water, flashlights and batteries. The kit proved to be an invaluable resource for thousands left in the dark during last week's blackout. However, as water and batteries flew off the shelves of stores, countless families found themselves at a loss - with no options other than simply waiting for the power to come back on.

These past few days have really shown the need to be ready for emergencies," Bevers-Ng said. "Hopefully families will learn from this event and take some simple measures to make themselves and their communities safer."

The Red Cross offers some tips for future blackouts: gather previously assembled disaster supplies kit; only use a flashlight for emergency lighting, never use candles; turn off electrical equipment you were using when the power went out; avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer; do not run a generator inside a home or garage and if you use a generator, connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator; do not connect a generator to a home's electrical system and listen to local radio and television for updated information.

The American Red Cross chapters in Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, Suffolk County Executive Robert J. Gaffney, and emergency management agencies, recently unveiled the "Bi-County Shelter Plan," a disaster preparedness effort for Long Island. The goal is to shelter 200,000 Long Islanders during a large-scale disaster. The plan is an "adopt-a-shelter" community-driven program where neighborhood groups, such as churches and civic groups, are urged to volunteer, receive disaster training and open local shelters in or near their communities in case of a disaster, large or small, such as blizzards, hurricanes, tropical storms, Nor'easters, fires and man-made disasters, including aviation crashes and acts of terrorism. Organizations interested in participating in the Bi-County Shelter Plan can call 747-3500 in Nassau County.