CROTON-ON-HUDSONTurns out the severe weather that hit the Ossining and Croton areas over the weekend was just the latest of many weather catastrophes that have struck the two communities.
There was severe flooding reported in the fall of 1955, that left many residents without water.
A member of the Croton Historical Society, Louise Giglio, 83, remembers when the flood happened, My son was born in August, and that was in October. I had to come down here and get his bath water, she said, referring to the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Buidling.
Residents didnt have water during this flood because the pump station had floodedwith the pump house worker inside. Frank Lyons was 68 years old when he was rescued from an island created by the raging Croton River and an off-shoot stream, said the Ossining Citizen Register of Oct. 17, 1955.
A report of tropical storm David from 1979, as told by the Peekskill Evening Star, said a record 5,000 ConEdison lines were torn down by falling trees and limbs, and that 73,000 Westchester customers lost power.
A more recent example of violent storms which have hit our area include one in May 2007, where about 30,000 people lost electricity, according to a report by Con Edison. Downed power lines and trees proved a difficult situation for resident then as well, and Con Edison distributed dry ice to residents in the area, because of the extensive damage.
The National Weather Services meteorologists did an aerial survey of the Ossining and Croton area on Saturday, determining that the property damage was caused by a microburst. A microburst is caused by the strong downward motions in a thunderstorm, from rain and cool air, and causes a rapid release of air, sometimes over 100 miles per hour, according to National Weather Service meteorologist David Stark.
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