Dozens Of Roads Still Blocked In Town Of Ossining

OSSINING, N.Y. – Thirty roads remained closed in the Town of Ossining because of trees on wires as of Tuesday afternoon, Town Supervisor Susanne Donnelly said.

Con Edison crews first started working here at the S-curve at Old Albany Post Road in Ossining.
Photo Credit: *Andrew Meola*

Trees on wires have blocked off part of the neighborhood beyond the Old Albany Post Road S-curve in Ossining.
Photo Credit: *Andrew Meola*

by Andrew Meola

10/31/2012 3:00 p.m.

Con Edison cut-and-clear crews worked with highway crews to start removing the trees from the wires. The town is not allowed to work on the areas until Con Edison does so.

The crews first went to the S-curve at Old Albany Post Road, which Donnelly said had blocked off most of that neighborhood. Utility poles were down there, as well.

Donnelly said the town, which remains in a state of emergency, would aid all of its residents as quickly as it could.

“Every area is of the utmost importance and priority to us,” Donnelly said.

Routes 9 and 9A remain open in the Town of Ossining. The town is also coordinating with the Westchester County Police and county officials.

Donnelly urged residents to not go trick-or-treating Wednesday night for Halloween.

“We’re stressing that everyone should stay in,” Donnelly said. “Have a house party for Halloween.”

Hanging wires could still be live, and residents should stay away from power lines. Some wires could be hidden in leaves and electricity could be flowing underground; those with pets should keep them away from the wires, too.

About 50 percent of the town remains without power. Donnelly said Con Edison has not yet had to purposely cut the power to any more homes.

“We understand people are starting to get frustrated, but the priority is to get wires off the streets,” Donnelly said.

The community center at 95 Broadway in Ossining is functioning as a shelter with cots, blankets and food. Donnelly said some residents have used the center as a comfort station during the day.

The center is also running a senior nutrition program led by Kathy Asaro. The town also sent two Meals on Wheels to Ossining’s senior citizens on Monday and made “Are you OK?” calls to the elderly. Donnelly said all senior citizens were safe.

The supervisor thanked the Highway and Parks departments for their work and urged residents to report power outages, particularly if an entire neighborhood is out of power.

The town Sanitation Department is picking up as much debris as possible in whatever areas the workers can reach.

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