As of 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, 247,860 LIPA customers remain without power, 11 days after Hurricane Sandy hit Long Island.
Speaking on Thursday, Gov. Cuomo said that damaged sustained from the superstorm exposed flaws in the LIPA’s outdated system. “Extreme weather is here to stay,” Cuomo said, and the state will consider redesigning the electric system that was originally put in place 60 years ago.
Shifting away from his hesitant stance to discuss climate change immediately following Hurricane Sandy, this time Cuomo said climate change is “undeniable” and a “reality.”
The governor, who has already had harsh words for LIPA, called the utility company a “nameless, faceless bureaucracy,” and a “monopoly” that operates without “incentive or sanction.”
“Management has failed the consumer,” as well as in their agreement with the state, Cuomo said, calling their recovery progress unacceptable.
Part of the redesign will require studying how other state’s have built their utility systems to withstand large scale, destructive weather patterns. Transportation and fuel delivery systems will also require improvements, proving to be a “tremendous vulnerability” within the state during times of crisis.
Hurricane Sandy has so far cost the state $33 billion, a vast majority of the $50 billion in damages and losses throughout the region.
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