Update: Nearly 7,000 Powerless in Deer Park-North Babylon

Update:

Monday, 6:25 p.m.

The number of power outages in Deer Park and North Babylon has jumped to nearly 7,000 as of 6:25 p.m. on Monday.

In Deer Park, 3,112 people are without power. The number is slightly higher in North Babylon with 3,850.

Orginal story:

Monday, 4:35 p.m.

More than 1,000 outages have been reported in Deer Park and North Babylon as of late afternoon on Monday, according to the Long Island Power Authority.

There are 355 outages reported in Deer Park and 1,008 reported in North Babylon. So far, the hamlet of West Babylon has been hit the worst in the Town of Babylon, with 1,350.

LIPA announced late Monday afternoon that it is halting repairs until the storm ends to protect its crews. Nearly 200,000 on Long Island have lost power as of 4:30 p.m.

The outages come as Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 "hybrid" hurricane, began to make its approach on the New York Metro area on Tuesday afternoon. The storm, as of the last National Weather Service update, was packing sustained core winds of 90 mph and had tropical force winds extending up to 500 miles from that core center.

LIPA was not able to give any estimate on a time of restoration.

Here's some helpful tips if you're stuck in the dark:

• LIPA's Outage Hotline number is 1-800-490-0075 or 631-755-6900,
• Check out LIPA's website via smartphone here to see the latest updates on power restoration and current outages.