It was class warfare — on the rich?
Residents of one of the nation’s most exclusive enclaves were still without power yesterday as a result of Hurricane Irene, leaving many homeowners wondering if they were being punished for their wealth.
Days after the storm blew through Long Island, residents of the tony Village of Sagaponack were so angry over delays in restoring electricity to their stately homes that they took their complaints to a higher authority.
But calls to representatives, senators — and even the White House — didn’t keep the most expensive small town in America from being caught in a power struggle.
“People are beginning to wonder if this messy business isn’t some kind of backlash to our idyllic, serene enclave,” said Michael Davis, a Sagaponack resident who builds homes throughout the Hamptons.
Davis and some of his neighbors suggested a blue-collar backlash was aimed at well-heeled homeowners, who are likelier to have generators at home.
Sagaponack homeowners include comedian and “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon, Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein, and Coach CEO Lew Frankfort.
One homeowner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while many Sagaponack residents do have their own generators, the machines are noisy and require frequent oil changes.
“It sounds like the New London ferry,” the homeowner said. “The bigger the house, the bigger the generator. They are built like World War II landing craft: They shake, rattle and roll.”
Power was finally restored yesterday afternoon.
But until then, the hedge-fund executives and mansion owners resorted to using the Starbucks in Bridgehampton to charge their laptops and BlackBerrys.
By yesterday evening, 83 percent of the 523,000 customers without electricity had their power restored, according to LIPA spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter, who pulled the plug on any power-priority theories.
“It has nothing to do with class warfare either way,” Baird-Streeter said. “It depends on the extent of the damage.”