# I pit LIPA **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005 "2012-11-05T21:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/1 "2012-11-05T21:51:00Z")
Long Island Power Authority No power for seven days now. Posting from a neighboring town’s public library. It’s COLD out tonight and my house is already freezing. My kid’s green iguana probably dies tonight. It’s been seven days since he last ate. LIPA motto: “We repair no line before its time.” ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/2 "2012-11-05T22:05:11Z")
can you make a fire? If you can heat up something like a brick of piece of metal then wrap it in a towel might give him enough heat to get active and eat. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/3 "2012-11-05T22:23:11Z")
Gee, I wonder what’s slowing them down? Is it just your house without power, or are others also affected? I mean, it would make sense if there had been some sort of natural disaster; then it might take awhile for everyone to get the lights back on. But I’m sure nothing like that happened, or your rant would be stupid. Too bad it wasn’t a natural disaster though. You maybe could have planned ahead and taken decent care of your pets. Oh well, I guess it was just a freak outage with no warning. What can you do? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/4 "2012-11-05T22:24:31Z")
I’m sorry for your situation, I’ve had similar in Florida but at the “too hot” side after a storm knocked out our power for days and weeks. You gotta have some patience, these guys have buttloads of repairs to do. Easy for me say, I know, from the comfort of Florida and having power. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/5 "2012-11-05T22:31:51Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Gee, I wonder what’s slowing them down? Is it just your house without power, or are others also affected? I mean, it would make sense if there had been some sort of natural disaster; then it might take awhile for everyone to get the lights back on. But I’m sure nothing like that happened, or your rant would be stupid. > > Too bad it wasn’t a natural disaster though. You maybe could have planned ahead and taken decent care of your pets. Oh well, I guess it was just a freak outage with no warning. What can you do? Jeez, lady. Twist the knife. ---
**Author:** ![RockytheflyingS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RockytheflyingS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RockytheflyingS)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/6 "2012-11-05T22:35:47Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Jeez, lady. Twist the knife. Yeah, no one should be cold and wondering when their pet is going to die. I’m not even sure shelters take iguanas. Some of the requirements for those that take animals is they must have rabies shots. Iguanas don’t have rabies shots. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/7 "2012-11-05T22:41:08Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Gee, I wonder what’s slowing them down? Is it just your house without power, or are others also affected? I mean, it would make sense if there had been some sort of natural disaster; then it might take awhile for everyone to get the lights back on. But I’m sure nothing like that happened, or your rant would be stupid. > > Too bad it wasn’t a natural disaster though. You maybe could have planned ahead and taken decent care of your pets. Oh well, I guess it was just a freak outage with no warning. What can you do? Damn, who invited Bitch Pudding? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WSa3tAssRM4/hqdefault.jpg "My Black Cherry is Gone | Robot Chicken | Adult Swim") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSa3tAssRM4) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/8 "2012-11-05T23:03:05Z")
While it certainly sucks to still be without power, I’m not sure the utility workers who’ve most likely been pulling 16+ hour days since the storm really deserve a pitting. There’s a fuckton of work to do, and somebody has to be the last person to have power restored. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/9 "2012-11-05T23:22:16Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Gee, I wonder what’s slowing them down? Is it just your house without power, or are others also affected? I mean, it would make sense if there had been some sort of natural disaster; then it might take awhile for everyone to get the lights back on. But I’m sure nothing like that happened, or your rant would be stupid. > > Too bad it wasn’t a natural disaster though. You maybe could have planned ahead and taken decent care of your pets. Oh well, I guess it was just a freak outage with no warning. What can you do? “Hurr Durr, I’m a hoers.” Is that what you just said, right? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/10 "2012-11-05T23:27:33Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Long Island Power Authority > > No power for seven days now. Posting from a neighboring town’s public library. > > It’s COLD out tonight and my house is already freezing. My kid’s green iguana probably dies tonight. It’s been seven days since he last ate. > > LIPA motto: > > “We repair no line before its time.” Actually I think you mean LILPA. Long Island Light and Power Authority. You missed a letter. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/11 "2012-11-05T23:36:31Z")
It’s probably a good think the Iguana hasn’t eaten in a week. As a reptile, any food he’d eat with a slow metabolism due to cold temperatures would just sit and rot in his stomach. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/12 "2012-11-05T23:41:49Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Actually I think you mean LILPA. Long Island Light and Power Authority. You missed a letter. Long Island Power Authority. LIPA. From what I’ve seen and heard, they’re busting themselves to get everyone back up. This was a devastating storm. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/13 "2012-11-05T23:54:04Z")
Can’t you shelter the poor iguana at a vet’s place?! :eek: Call, and ask! There might be a place taking in exotics (Edit: For free.) because of the cold etc. Can’t hurt to try… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/14 "2012-11-06T00:25:26Z")
I was lucky after Hurricane Ike–my power was out for less than 24 hours. My neighbors two streets over didn’t lose power at all. Two streets in the other direction, they had no power for three weeks… ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/15 "2012-11-06T01:11:21Z")
NY governor Andrew Cuomo just pitted them ( and the other local utility companies ) but good in a televised news conference…he’s pretty furious, actually and kept mentioning the fact that LIPA and ConEd could be replaced. I understand the frustration…I mean, it takes time to restore power to millions of customers and it’s probably going to take several more days. But the BIG problem is that no one can get a timetable on when their power is expected to be restored, not even a general idea. Most of the folks I work with don’t have power at home and aren’t sure when it will be restored. If they want to get a hotel room, they have no idea how long their stay will be. Should they book for a night or for a week ??? If they only choose a night, the hotel may not have a room available tomorrow if they need to extend…if they pick a week they may end up paying for time they don’t need. If they are staying with friends, how long will they need to impose? Should they start lining up other friends in case they overstay their welcome? Do they need to keep taking time out of their day every day to drive by their house and see if the power is back, when it may be another week? And going to visit with friends or family that live out of the area may be an option if they KNOW the power will be gone for a week…but not such a great idea if the power comes back an hour after they leave as that is an option that takes the family out of work and school. I won’t even go into what this does to people with pets. So, it isn’t being handled well by LIPA, it more an information and planning issue than an issue of repair speed…they need to make a schedule and let people know when you will get to their neighborhoods. People may not LIKE what they hear but that’s not a reason to keep them in the dark, both literally and figuratively. So I heartily endorse this pitting. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/16 "2012-11-06T13:29:15Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > NY governor Andrew Cuomo just pitted them ( and the other local utility companies ) but good in a televised news conference…he’s pretty furious, actually and kept mentioning the fact that LIPA and ConEd could be replaced. > > I understand the frustration…I mean, it takes time to restore power to millions of customers and it’s probably going to take several more days. But the BIG problem is that no one can get a timetable on when their power is expected to be restored, not even a general idea. > > Most of the folks I work with don’t have power at home and aren’t sure when it will be restored. If they want to get a hotel room, they have no idea how long their stay will be. Should they book for a night or for a week ??? If they only choose a night, the hotel may not have a room available tomorrow if they need to extend…if they pick a week they may end up paying for time they don’t need. > > If they are staying with friends, how long will they need to impose? Should they start lining up other friends in case they overstay their welcome? Do they need to keep taking time out of their day every day to drive by their house and see if the power is back, when it may be another week? > > And going to visit with friends or family that live out of the area may be an option if they KNOW the power will be gone for a week…but not such a great idea if the power comes back an hour after they leave as that is an option that takes the family out of work and school. > > I won’t even go into what this does to people with pets. > > So, it isn’t being handled well by LIPA, it more an information and planning issue than an issue of repair speed…they need to make a schedule and let people know when you will get to their neighborhoods. People may not LIKE what they hear but that’s not a reason to keep them in the dark, both literally and figuratively. > > So I heartily endorse this pitting. Your endorsement makes sense if LIPA’s tasks were easily quantified. How long does it normally take to put up a pole? Maybe the answer is two hours under normal conditions. But what is it if you have 10 poles? If you answer 20 hours you are wrong. How many of those poles are broke off at ground level? How many have to be dug out? How much debris has to be cleared just to get to each pole? How long to clear the debris? Take those kinds of things into consideration and the time it takes to put Joe Customer’s neighborhood back on is anywhere from 4 days to 5 weeks. Why spend your manpower providing estimates when the estimation process is so full of unknowns that the estimate is meaningless? I’ve never worked a mess as big as Sandy but I’ve had my share of midwest ice storms working 16 hour days for two weeks straight. Not only does it wear you to the bone you have to handle the emotions of the customers, I stood in the yards of people who cried, screamed, pleaded, cursed me while doing my job. The only thing that helped me keep my cool was the understanding that I too would be just like them if I were in their situation. My only recourse was to do my job safely and as quickly as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/17 "2012-11-06T14:04:34Z")
People also need to understand the storm surge over swept the barrier islands around Long Island, which means a lot of residential electrical boxes were under salt water for a time. They need to check each and every residential electrical box before they can turn the power back on, otherwise there would be house fires galore. That would be Bad. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/18 "2012-11-06T14:20:44Z")
I can sympathize with the suffering OP certainly. But I’m not sure that blame belongs with the Power Authority because this family chose an exotic pet that would die without heat, while residing in a cold ass climate. I have no problem with the bitching about getting the lights back on after all this time, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jaymosch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaymosch/32/2820_2.png) [@Jaymosch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaymosch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/19 "2012-11-06T15:10:32Z")
I’m a fellow Long Islander (I didn’t lose power though, just cell service!), there’s a lot of underlying facts in this case that most dopers would be unaware of. The recovery is apparently being mismanaged by the LIPA leadership (which is filled with a lot of political patronage jobs) and fudging or mismanaging actual numbers of outages and repairs. We bounce from most expensive to second most expensive utility in the nation, and there’s that whole non-operational nuclear plant we are still paying for that helps keep it that way. BigAppleBucky’s ire is not misplaced. People feel they should be getting more for the amount they spend, and I don’t blame them. Even just something as simple as clear communication about what is happening when and where. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005/20 "2012-11-06T15:40:26Z")
This reminds me of the reaction to [PEPCO’s](http://www.pepco.com/home/) handling of Hurricane Irene and its aftermath, and pretty much PEPCO’s handling of any major outage. Interestingly, there have been regular TV ads by PEPCO this time addressing their progress and I haven’t been hearing nearly as much complaining. Granted, the DC Metro area wasn’t hit nearly as hard as folks farther north, but it does appear that at least one electric company learned from its failures, so there \*may \*be hope for LIPA… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lipa/640005.md?page=2)