Never Too Soon to Be Prepared

    A seminar on hurricane preparedness will be held next Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton.

    Sponsored by the Long Island Power Authority along with the town supervisors of East Hampton, Southampton, and Shelter Island, as well as New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., the session will provide residents with information about how to prepare for and manage a power outage caused by an extreme weather event.

    The company will also update customers on its new preparedness, communication, emergency, and restoration procedures and initiatives. After Tropical Storm Irene last August, numerous East End customers were without power for up to a week.

    “Preparing for the next hurricane or tropical storm should be of the utmost importance to East End families,” Assemblyman Thiele said in a release encouraging attendance at the free event.

    “As we learned in the last two years with both Irene and Earl, you cannot be over-prepared when it comes to hurricanes on our East End,” East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson commented in the release.

    The Southampton Town Supervisor, Anna Throne-Holst, said that “LIPA has worked hard to improve its ability” to better respond to power outages.

    According to LIPA’s chief operating officer, Michael Hervey, another organizer of the forum, those efforts include mobile Web site and texting services to report and receive outage information and enhanced coordination with municipalities on tree and debris removal.

    Mr. Hervey encouraged East End residents to begin hurricane preparations now, including planning an escape route, compiling an emergency kit, and ensuring a way to stay connected to updated weather reports and emergency broadcasts.

    LIPA has also encouraged those who depend on electricity for emergency medical and life-support equipment to register for the company’s Critical Care Program, which can be done online at lipower.org.  Registrants will receive advance notice of scheduled outages and severe weather that could cause power outages.

    Those interested in registering for next Thursday’s program can do so by contacting Assemblyman Thiele’s office in Bridgehampton.