Mayor’s Message: Hurricane Ida Post Mortem Sept 3, 2021 - Update # 3
Posted on: September 3, 2021 - 7:02pm
Dear everyone,
Here is the update as of 6:30 pm today.
- The water on the Sawmill River Parkway has completely receded, it’s now open and all other Village roads are cleared and open too. Watch out for rocks as you drive about and feel free to mobilize the younger generation to help clear debris from roads and catch basins near you.
- The Farmers Market will be open tomorrow. There was quite a lot of debris on the commuter lot, most of which the DPW has already cleared, but be aware that there may be some parking restrictions.
- Friday’s comingled recycling was picked up today but if you left paper out it won’t be picked up till next week – to save it from being blown about please bring it in.
- The first Saturday of each month there is a garbage truck at the DPW to take garbage that residents bring to dump – the truck will be there tomorrow from 8 am to 12 pm.
- The Village Manager has suspended the Leaf Blower Law until Thursday September 9th to aid the clean up efforts – in deference to your neighbors please use blowers judiciously.
- The Metro North Hudson Line was still not operating today and there were some detours/diversions for the Beeline buses. If you plan to use these services over the weekend please check the relevant websites. For the MTA see: https://new.mta.info/ and for the Beeline buses see: https://transportation.westchestergov.com/rideralerts.
- Governor Hochul has reiterated that if you experienced flooding make sure to document the damage accurately – take photos and keep receipts of any expenses incurred – and call your insurance company to ascertain what damage is covered. The Governor has urged insurance companies to settle claims as quickly as possible.
To all of you who were affected by the flooding – I hope you’ve been able to salvage the things that are precious. A neighbor, who had several feet of water in her basement, stoically said, “We needed to get rid of that stuff anyway!” which struck me as a positive way to look at it.
New Ways to Contribute
In addition to the ideas listed in my emails from yesterday (see HERE and HERE) we have a new request. We’re looking for volunteers for our Climate Smart Communities Task Force (CSC TF). To many of us, it’s clear that the extreme weather events we’ve been experiencing are linked to climate change. We take that challenge very seriously in the Village, as demonstrated by the fact that we are the highest-ranking Clean Energy Community in New York (see HERE) and one of only 7 Silver Certified Climate Smart Communities (see HERE) in the State. The next big action for us is to draft a Climate Action Plan and we’re looking for volunteers interested in contributing to that exercise. Our Green House Gas (GHG) Inventories tell us that the largest sources of GHG emissions in the Village are transportation and buildings, so we will certainly focus on those sectors. We also plan to address adaptation and resiliency measures that will enable us to better handle extreme weather events. If you’re interested in these topics, and in being part of our CSC TF, click HERE to find an application form (you’ll also need to submit your resume). For more information on the Climate Smart Communities Task Force see HERE. Thanks in advance to all of you who sign up – I’m curious to see what we come up with as a community!
Post Ida Revelry
On Sunday September 5th, Hastings On Jazz will be performing at the VFW Plaza on Warburton Avenue from 3 to 5:30 pm. Hastings On Jazz is a weekly concert series from the Hastings Jazz Collective (and the occasional special guest…). It’s been taking place every Sunday this summer and will go through the end of September. Bring a chair/blanket, grab something from the new Boro6 hot dog cart, or an ice cream from Ellen at Penny Lick and enjoy the show!
Sincerely,
Nicola Armacost