Hurricane Gloria - Aftermath

Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath on Long Island, hundreds of thousands of residents were without power for nearly a week. The long duration without electricity led to a general disdain for the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). This increased further when the company left the $40 million (1985 USD) repair bill to the ratepayers, citing the company's lack of hurricane insurance. Citizens quickly protested LILCO's decision, and within years the publicly owned Long Island Power Authority was formed.

In Maine, most citizens remained indoors during the passage of the hurricane. One police officer noted that even the criminals stayed home. In the Lewiston area, restaurants experienced a great surge in business. During the power outage after the storm, several businesses stored frozen goods for houses without a generator. After the storm, President Ronald Reagan declared several counties in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts as federal disaster areas. This declaration allowed those counties to apply for disaster assistance.

Hurricane Gloria's passage through Canadian waters and its less-than-expected damage prompted Environment Canada to create the Canadian Hurricane Centre. Due to its impact, the name Gloria was retired from the Atlantic tropical storm name list in the spring of 1986, so it will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced with Grace in the 1991 season.