Town Of Islip Still Recovering From Isaias One Week Later

TOWN OF ISLIP, NY — One week after Tropical Storm Isaias ravaged Long Island, Town of Islip residents are still dealing with downed trees, power outages and damage caused by the strong winds.

Some residents suffered from damage to their property due to fallen tree limbs, while others are still dealing with no power. In addition, many roads in the town were deemed impassable due to all the downed trees. However on Tuesday, the Town of Islip announced after a week of clean up efforts, 99 percent of roadways in the town have reopened.

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter stated that any remaining road closures are likely due to downed PSEG electrical lines.

"The members of the Town Board and I clearly understand your frustration, and please be reassured that our crews will be working 7 days a week until all of the debris is removed," she stated. "We will continue with this special one-time bulk collection of debris over the next several weeks."

As of 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, a total of 1,785 residents within the Town of Islip still don't have power, according to the PSEG outage map. Power is estimated to be fully restored by Wednesday at 10 p.m.

West Islip resident Linda Sullivan stated she has been without power since Tuesday and had to send her 83-year-old mother to stay with her sister in Brooklyn.

"There are three chronically ill people that depend on oxygen, nebulizers, cpap, and bipap machines that depend on electricity," she told Patch. "The total lack of communication from PSEGLI made it difficult to plan."

In addition, Sullivan's husband ended up in the hospital and is still there due to lack of machines he needs that require electricity.

"I have a rare lung disease called Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension that requires oxygen. I am home working off portable battery oxygen machines," she said. "I scramble around to get charged during the day. I call oxygen company and they can only send me one tank that will only last two hours. It's horrible that no clear communication is available. I have two dogs that I can't leave and go somewhere when my home is safe but without electricity."

For those still dealing with clean up, the town is asking residents to follow DEC guidelines for regular garbage pickups. The town will not be picking up any debris put curbside by private contractors.

Residents can also call 631-224-5600 or 631-224-5380 for storm-related questions, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"Everyone at the Town of Islip is pulling together to help move the process along as quickly as possible. We sincerely appreciate your patience," Carpenter said.