Hundreds Lose Power Near Flower Hill Following Blustery Storm

FLOWER HILL, NY — Strong winds lashed Port Washington on Friday and hundreds of people lost power in Flower Hill. The heavy gusts came after a tropical storm warning was issued for Long Island as Tropical Storm Fay continued to march north. The National Weather Service predicted the storm would make landfall near the island Friday night.

The weather service said there was up to a 30 percent chance of sustained tropical-storm-force winds over 39 mph on the island. The strongest winds, with gusts up to 50 mph, were expected Friday night into early Saturday, and there was potential for a "few tornadoes."

Around 5:30 p.m. Friday, PSEG Long Island said over 300 homes and businesses lost power in Flower Hill and Munsey Park alone. Large outages were seen near along Port Washington Boulevard, near Northern Boulevard. Utility crews expected to restore power by 7:15 p.m. and the cause of the outage remains under investigation.

"Tropical Storm Fay has had impacts across Long Island and the Rockaways and PSEG Long Island is responding to power outages safely and as quickly as possible," the utility said on its website. "We operate 24 hours a day and will work overnight and beyond until all power is back on."
The utility said continued strong winds could create safety hazards and delay some repairs. Crews are already using "modified safety procedures" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Please be aware that we may not be immediately able to provide an Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) depending on the severity of storm damage, or an ETR shown on the map could change," the utility said.