Saying LIPA is sending out "mixed messages," Massapequa Park Mayor James Altadonna blasted the utility's response to the storm after conducting a meeting Tuesday night with village residents who remain without power.
"People were not happy with LIPA," Altadonna said of the meeting. "There are still too many mixed messages out there."
The mayor cited a LIPA official who told him that people who live in areas below Merrick Road were told they couldn't get power switched back on until they received a certificate of inspection.
But Altadonna has said that there have been areas where homes have been turned on without inspection certificates.
Area residents have reached out to Patch about this issue and a LIPA spokesman has not responded to a request for clarification sent out Monday afternoon.
Altadonna said that LIPA has said that clearing major roads and restoring power to schools would be a priority, but Birch Lane school remained closed and in the dark on Wednesday. The mayor said an area of Lake Shore Drive approaching Bethpage Parkway that has had a tree blocking the area since the storm.
"Whatever the plan is, let's be consistent get it out there," Altadonna said.
Altadonna has had nothing but praise for the job that the Seventh Precinct has done, and announced that they would be dispatching cars south of Merrick Road to provide extra security.
But the mayor said he's also proposing to create a village police force, to provide more concentrated security in the Massapequa area.
Village Hall will remain open "until everyone has power," the mayor said for people who need to go to a warm place.
The Village also announced a new program open to residents only who are without power, but have use of a generator. Officials will make gas available, to them but Altadonna warned that they will check residency and power status.
The mayor said that new outages have sprung up as a result of Wednesday's storm, and urges any residents to obey any evacuation orders if they come as a result of this newest storm.
As of 1 p.m. LIPA was reporting 2,540 customers without power in Massapequa, 1,103 in East Massapequa, 962 in North Massapequa, and 300 in Massapequa Park.
