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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 Eastchester and Tuckahoe, knocking out power to nearly 6,000 Con Edison customers in the area.
Power came back quickly to Tuckahoe, which had complete restoration by Nov. 4, five days after the hurricane took the county by storm. Residents in Eastchester weren’t as lucky, as some had to wait more than 1 1/2 weeks to turn the lights back on in their homes.
Local schools were forced to shut down for a week, leading to a reduced spring recess for students, and those whose homes were without power packed into the local libraries 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 of gas stations that sometimes stretched several miles. Police resources had to be dispatched to control the lines and to regulate traffic where lights were knocked out.
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. Two Tuckahoe organizations joined forces to collect goods for those with the greatest need, and students at the JCC of Mid-Westchester spread cheer to the victims.
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