What should Long Islanders do to prepare for an impending storm? If a storm should strike Long Island, what can Long Islanders do to stay safe and protect their homes and families? And when the storm has passed, where can Long Islanders go to get up-to-the-minute information on storm related electric outages?

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) through its Web-based “Storm Center” can provide its customers with comprehensive and timely information to help cope with the disruption and destruction that may be left in the wake of a major storm.

“Long Island’s safety is LIPA’s top priority,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “LIPA’s Web-based Storm Center will provide our customers with an invaluable emergency preparedness tool that will help them to stay safe by staying informed.”

LIPA’s “Storm Center” is continuously updated and contains information and safety tips on how to prepare for different types of weather such as hurricanes, heat waves, lightning and winter storms.

Electric outages can now also be tracked online. LIPA’s “Storm Center” now provides an Online Outage report that is updated every half hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the current electric outage information on Long Island. The Outage Report shows the areas and the number of customers affected, an important step towards keeping the public informed.

LIPA’s “Storm Center” is also an excellent educational tool. The sub-section “Power Outages 101” contains information on why outages occur, how to be prepared for them and what LIPA does to prevent service disruptions and keep them as short as possible when they do occur.

To learn more about storm preparedness visit LIPA’s “Storm Center” at http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, owns the retail electric system on Long Island and provides electric service to nearly 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA does not own any electric generation assets on Long Island and does not provide natural gas service.