How Wantagh-Seaford Coped with Sandy Power Outages

More than 80 percent of LIPA customers lost power in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and many remained in the dark for several days, with a few waiting well more than a week for power to be restored. 

On the one year anniversary of Sandy, we asked readers on our Facebook page how long they were without power and how they coped. Here's a few of the responses:

Robert O'Connell: Two weeks and I had a generartor and auto transfer switch already in place...can't depend on LIPA.

Danielle Lyn: Over two weeks so I ran away from home!

Isabella C. McGowan: We were going into our seventh day. We did get a small generator and hooked up one computer, one TV, one lamp and our phone. Still we didn't have hot water until the power came back. I have a gas stove and I still have a percolator coffee maker that I keep for emergencies. I bought a lot of ice and tried to keep and save as much food as possible by using large coolers.

Jack Leone: Only four days without power but felt like an eternity.

Walter Wasnieski: 12 days. I was working 12-hour shifts for the DSNY so I left in the dark and came home in the dark.

Martha Ann Ferris: Had power but no heat and hot water because of the water that got in. Lived with my brother and his family till mid December.

Evelyn Beck: 13 days! Bounced between in-laws and parents depending on who had power!

Michael Glasner: Still without power or home!

Christopher Pizzaia: Almost two weeks...used fireplace for heat, friends and families houses for a shower, ate out and used the grill too cook food.

Diane Stephan: Around 7 days. Funny enough, I keep thinking of the Walking Dead, and how much worse it could be.

Frank J. Messina: 13 days with two kids under 3.

Binky Bee: 12 days -- we just lost power and nothing else. #grateful.

Eddie Muro: Five days...battery powered radio, flashlights, made a fire in the fireplace one night, got a hotel room two nights.

Laura Grigonis: Four hours. I shut the power off when water began filling the basement. Fortunately, my husband's forethought to raise all the basement electrical kept the system intact and we were able to switch back on when the tide went out. We were in a flood ravaged area and never once lost power on our block. Several individual homes lost power due to saltwater infiltration, but gratefully, we were okay.

Marie G. Costello: 7 days and not well!

We'd love to hear your Sandy story. Here’s how you can share.

Visit the My Sandy Story blog here and click on the open text box under the heading to create a post.

Or, from the homepage, follow these steps:

• Sign in to your Patch. (Click “Join” if you don’t have an account yet.)
• Click the "Blogs" tab, near the top of the homepage and then locate the My Sandy Story blog in the left-hand column. Click on it.
• Click in the box that says, “Write a new post” and then click on “Article” at the top.
• Give your post a headline, enter the body of the story and upload your photos.
• Click “Post now.”