Roberta finally gets power back Saturday afternoon

The Reeves Park woman we wrote about this week whose house was without power almost a week and a half due to Hurricane Sandy finally got her electricity back on Saturday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m., her 13th day without power.

Roberta, who asked that her full name not be used, lives with her 87-year-old mother, who is partially paralyzed from a stroke, and a 13-year-old son, who has Downs Syndrome. She said hers was the only house on her block without power because a downed tree had crushed the meter box and she had to get it fixed before LIPA would reconnect her power.

She hired an electrician to the work but getting LIPA back to her house proved difficult. She and her family stayed with a neighbor for a few days, and then with relatives.

The News-Review spoke to a LIPA public relations official on Roberta’s behalf on Monday, Nov. 5, and was told that the “estimated time” by which LIPA could respond was Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 9 a.m. But Wednesday was the day a nor’easter struck and knocked power out at new locations. LIPA never showed up at Roberta’s house on Wednesday.

Or Thursday and Friday.

Today, while her cable and phone wires were still down, Roberta said she was just glad to her electricity. “It’s nice to have a warm house,” she said.