Riverhead Outages Cut by More Than Half in 36 Hours

UPDATE, Thursday, 1:15 p.m.: LIPA crews have cut the number of customers without power in Riverhead by more than half in the last 36 hours, down from about 13,000 on Wednesday around midnight to 5,700 as of early Thursday afternoon.

The largest gains have been made in Wading River, where more than 2,000 homes have been restored.

Outages are reported as follows:

• Northville: 481
• Aquebogue: 713
• Jamesport: 9
• Riverhead: 1,117
• Flanders: 821
• Riverside/Northampton: 653
• Calverton: 1,796
• Wading River: 169

UPDATE, Wednesday, 12:05 a.m.: The number of locals from Flanders to Wading River, from Riverside to Northville without power were cut by about 4,000 on Tuesday, knocking the number of individuals without power from just over 17,000 to about 13,000.

LIPA crews made large gains in Riverside, restoring power to about 5,000 people. About 200 more homes in Calverton were reported to be without power around midnight on Wednesday than 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Outages are reported as follows:

• Northville: 284
• Aquebogue: 8
• Jamesport: 762
• Riverhead: 2,263
• Flanders: 655
• Riverside/Northampton: 2,798
• Calverton: 3,436
• Wading River: 2,828

UPDATE, Tuesday 9 a.m.: Long Island Power Authority crews are working tirelessly to try and restore power to the over 17,000 homes around Riverhead that have lost service due to Hurricane Sandy, among over 930,000 without power across Long Island.

As of Tuesday at 9 a.m., LIPA reports that currently, 11,153 residents of Riverhead are without power, plus nearly another 5,500 in Flanders, Riverside and Northampton. That number includes 4,231 customers in Riverhead, 2,828 in Wading River, 734 in Aquebogue, 3,203 in Calverton, 157 in Northville, 3,459 in Riverside/Northampton, and 2,909 in Flanders. No power outages are currently reported in Jamesport.

Original story: Power outages are on the rise around Riverhead – over 5,000 and counting – as Hurricane Sandy sweeps up the East Coast and wind gusts continue to knock down branches and limbs around town.

Not only the number of customers, but the number of locations, has increased since early afternoon. Fewer than five customers are reported to be without power in at least eight different locations from Reeves Park to Flanders, however big outages are reported in Wading River, near Wildwood Park, and in Aquebogue.

According to LIPA's outage map, Aquebogue has just over 1,300 customers without power, and just over 1,500 in Wading River. Another recent outage, popping up on the map just before 4 p.m., is located on Middle Road, between Osborn and Roanoke Avenues. No crews are assigned at the moment to either location, with no estimated time of restoration.

Other outages include Flanders near Cyprus Avenue, where just over 911 customers are without power, and Northville near Sound Shore road, reporting 157 without power.

A weather alert from the National Weather Service states that Hurricane Sandy's strongest winds – including gusts of up to 85 miles per hour – are expected in the area Monday afternoon and evening.

According to the NWS, "Winds will be capable of downing trees and snapping off large tree branches. Power outages could be widespread and last at least several days."