With Utilities Out, Mineola Residents Find Alternatives

With power still out for over 350,000 people across Long Island, many people are finding alternative ways to access information and to find temporary sources of electricity until the lights come back on at home.

With LIPA reporting that 1,854 residents are still without power in Mineola and with it no internet or television, numerous residents were reported as coming into the all day Monday asking if access to the World Wide Web was available. While power had been restored to the building, librarians said that their access to the NLS (Nassau Library System) and internet was not working. Residents were recharging their cell phones and laptops using the library’s outlets.

“Our outlets were in full use for most of the day,” library director Cherles Sleefe said.

With many VOiP (voice over internet protocol) landline phones such as Verizon’s FiOS and Cablevision’s Optimum Voice requiring power to operate, residents may find themselves without power when battery backups run out. The same can be said for cell phones when there is no power in the house to recharge batteries. is offering residents the ability to recharge their phones in many stores as well as make calls to relatives using their in-store displays.

Since Sunday the parking lot outside the in the Herricks Road shopping center has been filled and nary a seat to be found since the restaurant offers free Wi-Fi internet access to diners.

The store next door was also seen having a booming business, with cars filling the small lot, in large part to the numerous reports of Cablevision TV service having been out since early Sunday morning across Long Island.