From the desk of Mayor Paul Ehrbar: Weathering epic storm sequence

The Island Now

The past two weeks have been difficult throughout the tri state area as a result of Sandy’s destructive forces, combined with the Nor’easter. 

While numerous articles have been written about these two traumatic storms, I will deal with the effects on our Village of Williston Park. 

However, before doing so, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have been negatively impacted as a result of these combined events. Many lives have been lost, as have many homes. These events, as we all know, have had a profound effect on a great number of people. 

The village residents were impacted over the two weeks by both storms although the end result was much less severe than elsewhere on Long Island.  Falling trees and power outages were evident through our great village. Many of our residents were forced to deal with cold, powerless homes which created much stress for many. Throughout this period I came in contact with a large number of our residents. Most displayed an understanding of the overall situation, voicing concern for neighbors  and compassion for those less fortunate then themselves.

From a village stand point the residents should be extremely proud of how your staff handled this event. Areas that could be controlled at a village level were handled efficiently and as promptly as possible. 

Prior to the storm ending, crews were out assessing the damage and prioritized the work load. When possible, crews worked diligently to keep our roads open. As the storm ended the first priority was to ensure that trees and debris were cleared a make a path for emergency vehicles. Once accomplished, the village crews turned their attention to houses where trees had fallen on the structure. Many were removed quickly . 

However, due to the position and size of some trees, contactors were called in to complete this task. Village employees assessed many standing trees and where a number had shifted as a result of the high winds ,were removed. While the contractors and village tree crews dealt with the trees, remaining staff began the arduous task of cleanup while also continuing regular sanitation schedules. 

With the  Nor’easter hitting town on Nov. 7, a decision was made to put the sander in operation to provide safety on our streets and ensure the continued cleanup from Sandy. 

However at 3:30 p.m., I declared a  snow emergency and surprisingly by 5:30 p.m., our DPW personal began to put plows on trucks and once completed, began plowing. This task became complicated as the unexpected heavy snow brought down power lines and many areas in the village that had their power restored, lost this valuable commodity once again. 

Plow trucks had to careful of low hanging wires, mostly cable and phone ,as the trucks  moved through the village to allow for the continuation of the clean up and to also provide open streets for emergency vehicles.

Code enforcers hand delivered information sheets to many resident  who had lost power for an extended period of time. Once the snow began to fall this operation  had to be suspended. 

Office staff  was available throughout the event with the phone system remaining on line for the duration.  Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4 Village Hall was open in order  to respond to residents questions and concerns and to provide a comfort station for residents in need.

The library remained opened these past two weekends with extended hours to provide comfort to any wishing to seek warmth, companionship or just a place to recharge themselves and their cell phones. 

Prior to the storm arriving contact was made with LIPA and other elected officials. Calls were constantly made to the appropriate individuals during all aspects of the outage, trying to get power restored throughout the village. Every effort possible was made to have power restored as quickly as possible. While there are a number of concerns with LIPA, I don’t believe that this is the forum  to deal with those issues.

On behalf of the village Board I’d like to thank the following for their contributions to the village residents  ( listed alphabetically): auxiliary police,  code enforcers,  DPW staff , fire department , library staff,  office staff,  sanitation crews, water Department staff, and of course residents,  friends, and families, who helped each other during this trying time .

Special thanks to Village Clerk Julie Kain for her organization of  village staff.  Building inspector Kerry Collins provided guidance and assistance. Superintendant Keith Bunnell organized and oversaw the  outside operations. His ability to “change on the fly” with ever changing conditions, was instrumental in providing the village with an efficient  and effective process. 

Thanks to Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss and Mineola Superintendent of Public Works Tom Rini. Both villages remained in contact throughout the event comparing and strategizing for the betterment of both villages.

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