Reports of electrical outages from Montauk to Wainscott, and all the way up through Shelter Island and the North Fork, rolled in on Thursday beginning shortly after 10 a.m.
According to PSEG Long Island's outage map, the cause of the outages is under investigation, with estimated restoration times between 12:15 and 2 p.m. The map showed more than 21,500 customers without power as of 11:08 a.m.
PSEG's media relations team said in an email to The Star that "there was a motor vehicle accident impacting a transmission circuit, while additional scheduled maintenance outages were ongoing. We are actively working to restore the power back as quickly and safely as possible." The accident occurred in Southold.
The outages hit the East End amid frigid winter temperatures; the current temperature reported at East Hampton Airport is 24 degrees, with a low of 22 in the forecast for Thursday night. Patrick Derenze, a town spokesman, said the East Hampton Town Senior Center and Montauk Library are open as "warming centers" for those in need of warmth.
The Town Police Department's phone lines are still operational, meaning business as usual for the dispatchers. However, the town sent out an automated email that some phone lines are down because of the outages. Stony Brook Southampton Hospital was not affected by the incident, a hospital spokesperson told The Star.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
