Gov. Cuomo has launched investigations into every state-licensed power utility in the region to determine how they performed after Hurricane Sandy.
“I’m going to do a thorough review/investigation, and they will be held accountable for past performance, and we have to make sure we are prepared for when this happens again,” Cuomo said during a briefing.
The Long Island Power Authority — which has nearly 30,000 ratepayers without power, including those in the Rockaways — will “get killed the most, but they’re not going to be singled out,” a source said.
But, the source added, “everybody will be investigated. They’re not going to single out LIPA.”
Cuomo is angry about the slow restorations, and he’s also upset with Public Service Commission Chairman Garry Brown, the source added.
“I want to be fair and reasonable with the utility companies. But I think they were not prepared. I think they were noncommunicative in their response, which I think exacerbated the situation,” Cuomo said after announcing that power had been restored to about 99 percent of homes in the area.
Con Ed said yesterday that it has restored power to 1 million homes and that the remaining 16,300 customers in flooded areas won’t have power until individual repairs are made and certified by electricians.
To help that process, Mayor Bloomberg has waived, until further notice, any city fees for electrical and plumbing repair work for any building damaged by the storm.
Additional reporting by Leonard Greene