63°
SCARSDALE, N.Y. Parts of the Village of Scarsdale were still without electricity Sunday following a freak October storm that dumped about 5 inches of heavy, wet snow on the area, sending tree-branches toppling and ripping down power lines.
According to Con Ed, nearly 4,000 Scarsdale area residents were without power as of 1 p.m. Sunday. Scarsdale Mayor Mirian Levitt-Flisser said in an e-mail statement that all roads had been plowed and sidewalk plowing was under way in preparation of the Monday commute. Flisser said in a 3:30 p.m. update that Con Ed was targeting 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to haVe everyone in Scarsdale reconnected.
"Downed trees that involve live electrical connections continue to block streets in about 30 locations," she said. "Where downed trees can be removed safely, public works crews will continue the process. Please use 914-722-1000 for non-emergency calls, and 911 in case of emergency."
Flisser said that, according to Con Ed, about 70,000 people are still without power across Westchester County, and officials are still assessing damage in Scarsdale. "Their policy is to establish public safety as a first priority; this includes opening blocked roads," Flisser said. "After that, circuits with the largest damage areas are restored; individual outages are secondary priority. Municipalities, including Scarsdale, have been assigned local emergency liaison personnel to coordinate the next phase, restoration crew efforts. Restoration assistance crews are expected from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland."
Kathy Gray, president of the Friends of the Scarsdale Library, said the scheduled Amanda McBroom concert at the library to will go on as planned. The cabaret singer, who recently opened her new show at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan, will perform at 4 p.m. Gray suggests leaving home a few minutes early to get there.
"The roads are clear, but some are still closed" because of tree limbs and wires, she said. "You have to give yourself a few extra minutes to find a detour."
She said she had at least 5 inches of snow in her yard, "but it's melting fast."
B.K. Munguia bemoaned the fact that her plum tree was "totally squished" by the wet snow, with some broken branches. She also said the Haunted Dungeon at the Scarsdale Teen Center, which was closed Saturday night because of the storm, will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday night and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Halloween, Monday. Munguia can be found haunting the dungeon at in the basement at 862 Scarsdale Ave.
John Brett of Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company 3 said there was a lot of heavy snow and ice.
"The trees are covered with ice and wet snow," he said. "It looks like you got the snow off, but the branches are still low because the leaves are coated with ice."
Brett said he was not aware of any major auto accidents during the storm.
"Luckily, there were no fires," he said.
Brett also said he recalled another early storm not as bad as this one in the late 1980s or early '90s.
"I was to do a bike race in Bedford," he said. "It was the first time I was ever supposed to do a bike race that got snowed out."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Scarsdale and receive free news updates.
