PSEG Long Island: Storm Update – August 5, 2020 6:30 p.m.

(UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Aug 5, 2020) – As of 3 p.m., PSEG Long Island employees and contractor crews have restored more than 244,000 customers affected by Tropical Storm Isaias, which was one of the strongest to hit the service area in years.

• In total, the storm affected approximately 420,000 customers. Approximately 176,000 customers remained without power as of 3 p.m.
• PSEG Long Island estimates 85% of customers will be restored by Friday. More than 2,000 lineworkers, tree trimmers and other personnel are working around the clock, in 16-hour shifts until every customer is restored.
• At no time did the challenges we faced with our communications systems impact our restoration efforts. We have still been able to assess the full extent of the damage and dispatch crews to the impacted areas.
• PSEG Long Island understands how critical it is to share accurate and timely information with our customers. We have overcome many of the issues with Verizon that affected our call center operations yesterday, and we are working diligently to improve all of our systems to fully resolve these issues. We urge customers to use the automated voice response system whenever possible: 1-800-490 0075.
• PSEG Long Island is assisted by workers from New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, Alabama, Kansas and Missouri. Many arrived before the storm began and were immediately available to start restoration work yesterday afternoon.
• Due to the extent of the damage, estimated restoration times may not be available or may be refined as additional information is gathered.
• Crews will work to restore critical facilities first, followed by outages affecting the largest numbers of customers, and then address outages affecting small numbers or individual customers.
• In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have adapted our storm and safety procedures to follow public health guidelines and industry best practices. We thank our customers for their patience as we operate under these unusual circumstances to safely restore power as quickly as possible.
• Our goal, always, is to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We ask our customers for a fair amount of patience and to know we will be there just as soon as it is safe.
   

Customer Safety:

• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and immediately call 911 to report downed wires.
• Electric current passes easily through water, so stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires. Don't drive over – and don't stand near – downed power lines.
• Downed lines will be hard to see in the rain and can potentially be hidden in standing water. If you encounter large pools of standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.
• The safety of PSEG Long Island’s customers and employees is the company’s top priority. We ask that customers remain in their homes while crews are working nearby. If customers must speak with our crews, we ask that they practice responsible physical distancing and remain at least 6 feet away to ensure the health of everyone involved.
• To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline-powered generators in a garage or any other enclosed space.

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PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.