6:30 p.m.: LIPA is now reporting 908 without power in Rocky Point, 1,430 in Miller Place, 2,246 in Sound Beach and 4,587 in Mt. Sinai.
4:40 p.m.: Numbers in Mt. Sinai are now up to 4,271. LIPA released the following statement:
"LIPA and National Grid will continue to restore power to the maximum extent possible, keeping in mind that the safety of the public and our workforce is the highest priority. Due to the high sustained wind speeds and localized flooding, overhead line work will be delayed for long periods of time until conditions once again become safe for crews, which based on the current weather forecast will be Tuesday morning. Ground work restoration will continue as conditions allow."
UPDATE: LIPA is reporting 2,037 customers in Sound Beach and 2,669 in Mt. Sinai are without power as of 4:15 p.m. There are 178 outages in Miller Place and none reported in Rocky Point as of 4:20 p.m.
Original Story posted 12:45 p.m. Monday:
Strong winds ahead of Hurricane Sandy have started causing power outages to spring up across the Miller Place-Rocky Point area, specifically Sound Beach.
Long Island Power Authority is reporting that 71 Sound Beach customers are without power as of 12:45 p.m. Monday morning. The utility company is currently assessing the condition and cause of Sound Beach's outages. There are currently no outages in Rocky Point and Shoreham and just five in Miller Place.
According to LIPA's storm outage map, there are 14,194 customers in Suffolk County who are without power as of 12:45 p.m. Monday. There are a total of 2,118 customers without power in the Town of Brookhaven.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Advisory as Frankenstorm is expected to generate speeds of 30 - 50 mph, with gusts up to 80 - 85 mph. The strongest winds are expected Monday afternoon and evening.
Experts are advising residents to stay indoors during the storm, away from all windows and doors.
Stayed Tuned to Patch for updated Hurricane Sandy Coverage. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter @MPRPPatch for breaking news.
