Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted the recent storm response by New York utility companies during a news conference in Dix Hills.

“The last storm we went through we had a number of power outages that took a prolonged period of time to get them up and running. It was a problem on Long Island, it was a problem in Westchester.  I asked for a review by the Public Service Commission that regulates the utilities because they have to do a better job, period,” he said. “People pay them to supply power to the home, not just when it's sunny - but also when there's a storm. New Yorkers are understanding and we understand there could be a storm and power lines are down. But we also expect the utilities to do their job and to have the personnel and resources to quickly restore power. In my opinion, they have failed that mission.”

Cuomo went on to say the PSC is doing a review that could end in financial sanctions. He also warned utilities that they are granted a license to operate in New York and that those licenses could be revoked.

“I understand these storms are a relatively recent phenomenon, but we all have to adjust,” he said. “ New Yorkers have had to adjust, local governments have had to adjust and the power companies have to learn to adjust. This is the new normal and we want better service from them than we have gotten thus far.”