the patients were brought here to riverhead. they're all doing well at a hospital being powered by generators. >> decisions were made around 12:00 noon with the approaching water and the rising tides for the sake of the safety of patients. we work collectively with the management team and ambulance crews. and we began moving 13 patients to this hospital around 1:00, 2:00 this afternoon. >> reporter: so was eastern long island hospital in greenport the floodwaters war proeching there. they had to get the patients out and you came in and got them out? >> that's right. they're right on the water. and water was coming over the bulkhead. that was the right decision to make. >> reporter: we're in riverhead. back to you. >> thank you for that update. >>> for the latest on sandy, we go to bill karins who has been tracking this all night. bill, i think what struck both of us and again we're going see a lot more when the sun come up, but so many of these local leaders and officials who we've been talking to through the night say it actual

the patients were brought here to riverhead. they're all doing well at a hospital that's being powered by generators. >> decisions were made around 12:00 noon with the approaching water and the rising tides for the sake of the safety of patients. we worked collectively with the management team and we began moving 13 patients to the area. >> so was eastern long island hospital in freeport, the waters were approaching, they had to get the patients out and you got them out? >> that's right. they're right on the water. and water was coming over the bulkhead. that was the right decision to make. >> reporter: we're in riverred, i'm greg cergol, back to you. >> greg, thanks so much. it was a dire situation several blocks south of here when the power went out and then back up generators failed at the nyu langone medical center. there was a mid storm evacuation of 215 patients including those in critical care and 20 infants from an neo-natal intensive care unit. dozens of ambulances lined up outside to transport the evacuees to nearby mt

also in the riverhead area, members of a hospital here traveled to the east to a hospital in greenportas being surrounded by floodwaters, they got 12 patients out of the hospital and took them by ambulance back here to riverhead to a hospital that's being run by generators and those folks are all doing well tonight, so tragedy, triumph and a lot of cleanup here on long island to come. >> have you had an opportunity and i don't know, obviously it's almost 2:30 in the morning but when is the last opportunity that you had, greg, to talk to officials on long island and are they telling people don't start the cleanup tomorrow? stay inside until further word, until emergency responders can really check out the situation? >> reporter: yeah, a couple of hours ago, the county executive in nassau county put out an order closing all roads in the county, just an unprecedented order but he did so just for that reason. the roads are covered with downed trees and power lines and they want first responders and cleanup crews to get out there and take care of those issues before drivers return to the ro

>> reporter: we've been out here in riverhead for much of the day today. have to tell you with all the parkways being closed, moving around has been very difficult. we tried to stay in this area to see the damage here, but for folks, i mean, the elected officials here on long island are telling people not to travel. the quote was, if you go out on the roadways, you're putting yourself in harm's way, you're putting yourself at risk, so we've restricted our driving around for safety reasons. so, and that's the case i think all around the island tonight. >> greg cergol, thank you very much. in fact, one of the deaths we heard was reported was that a woman walked into some standing water that was electrified. that there was a downed power line. we also, i think we have a map we can show you, of fire island. it's very well known in this part of the country. along long island where greg is. this is a big beach resort. and we are told that they have definitely lost some homes into the ocean. some waterfront homes. the count that we have heard from the commissione