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Hurricane Sandy has been described as one of the worst natural disasters to strike the East Coast. Its devastating winds brought down trees and power lines throughout Scarsdale, knocking out power to more than 70 percent of Con Edison customers in the village.
Scarsdale was among the Westchester County municipalities hit the hardest by the storm, with some residents having to wait nearly two weeks to get power back. Mayor Miriam Levitt-Flisser put the village in a state of emergency that persisted for two weeks and dozens of roads were taped off and closed due to downed wires, limbs and trees.
Schools were forced to shut down for a week, leading to a reduced spring recess for students. People whose homes were without power packed into the local library to warm up, catch their breath and make use of outlets and Internet.
It took weeks for the area to regain a sense of normalcy. Following the storm, there was a shortage of gasoline, which led to increased prices and lines outside stations that sometimes stretched for several miles. Police officers had to be deployed to control the lines and to regulate traffic where lights were knocked out. Several meetings and presentations were postponed and Village Hall was without power for more than a week.
Traveling also became a problem, as several county parkways were closed for days at a time, and the Westchester County Airport was shut down. The Metropolitan Transit Authority canceled Metro-North trains and all subways in the area.
In the wake of the storm, local agencies came together to help those most affected by Sandy in the tri-state area. The Junior League of Central Westchester donated a portion of its annual Holiday Boutique proceeds to the victims, and the United Way set up a Disaster Recovery Fund.
The Board of Trustees set up a committee to address the issues that plagued the village, and students at the JCC of Mid-Westchester spread cheer to the victims.
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