Mayor’s Message: Preparing for Hurricane Henri

Hi everyone,

 

After what seemed like a fairly innocuous day, the storm clouds are starting to gather and the rain has just started. Tomorrow we expect what the weather service calls “damaging to destructive winds and flooding rain.”  We have declared a “Weather Emergency” in the Village starting tonight at midnight, and we expect extremely windy conditions all day tomorrow (50-60 mph with gusts up to 70-80 mph) with peak winds from 7 am till the afternoon.  The good news is that the hurricane appears to have moved slightly east so we are not directly in its path as per some earlier forecasts. Once the hurricane reaches us, please stay inside till it’s left our area.

 

Our Police Department, Fire and Emergency Services and DPW teams are ready to deal with whatever comes our way. Hopefully the impact on our community will not be too severe. If trees and wires come down and residents lose power, our emergency management team will work with Con Edison to get the roads cleared and power restored as quickly as possible. Please only call the police to report trees that are blocking roads and downed wires – if you lose power call Con Edison immediately (see info below) and remember to keep everyone away from downed power lines (including pets).

 

HoH Emergency Preparedness Link: We have consolidated lots of useful information on the Village’s “Emergency Preparedness” button which can be found on the home page of the Village website.  It has checklists on planning ahead for a weather emergency and what to do during and after a weather emergency. On these lists you’ll find information on reporting and tracking outages with the utility and telecom/internet providers as well as other ideas you might find valuable.

 

Doing Your Part:  One of the most helpful things residents can do in an emergency is to get cars off the streets so the emergency vehicles can pass easily. Park in your driveway if you have one. If you have errands to run please do them right away, put away anything that might get blown about, and stay in tomorrow!

 

Neighborhood Helplines: Now is the time to activate your neighborhood helpline and make plans on how you will support one another if you lose power. Please include people who are new to the Village as well as neighbors who are not so tech oriented. Our Parks and Recreation team will check in with everyone who signed up on “Are You OK” tomorrow, but if you do lose power/AC and have elderly neighbors who are in a similar situation please let us know ASAP so we can make sure they are safe and comfortable.

 

Power Outages: If you lose power report it as soon as you can – you can click HERE, or text REG to OUTAGE (688243) and follow the prompts (you will need your account number and to confirm your zip code). You can also reach Con Edison by phone: 1-800-75-CONED. Don’t forget that if you are in an apartment building it helps for each household to report the outage so the magnitude of the situation is clear.  If you lose power and are under quarantine/isolation and can’t remain at home for any reason please contact the Westchester County Covid-19 hotline at 1-866-588-0195 and explain your situation and/or let me know. Once the storm has passed, you’ll be able to click HERE for a map that shows which parts of the Village have power outages.

 

In our house, we are charging our phones and computers, and we plan to settle down to listen to the wonderful podcasts from our historical society and library, which I will send to all of you shortly!

 

Do stay safe!

 

Sincerely,

 

Nicola Armacost