Power outages forced many Long Islanders out of their homes Tuesday in search of alternate ways to beat the heat.

While many residents headed to the beach or local pool to cool off, a North Massapequa woman sought refuge from her powerless home by meeting friends for a lunch date. Others headed to a museum to stay cool and learn at the same time. Some business owners say the power outages hurt business and forced them to turn away customers.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) blamed the outages on popping transformers set off by the blazing heat. Officials say the demand record was broken for the second straight day. LIPA says it distributed 5,340 megawatts of electricity to customers Monday.