Message from the Mayor: Storm and Coyote Update
Posted on: March 2, 2018 - 8:34pm
Fellow Residents;
There are days I think we would all welcome a boring, quiet day. No such luck.
Storm Update
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We are in the midst of a Northeaster/Bombowhatever. It’s a big storm. The ground was already wet, winds are blowing hard and the trees are going over. The situation right now is fluid (no pun intended), with over 130 homes registered as without power, which undoubtedly underestimates the count. This storm is expected to continue blowing throughout the night, so we are far from done. As the ground soaks more, wind gusts can blow down new trees. Con Edison has indicated that they will not be sending out crews until the winds subside, so power is not likely to be restored nor downed trees removed until tomorrow.
There are trees down on Broadway southbound at the split, Cliff Street, Farragut from Mt. Hope to Merril, Fenway, Summit Drive, High Street between James and Harvard, and Buena Vista. Downed lines are sparking, so most tree removal must wait until Con Edison shows up and powers down the lines to make it safe.
If you must be out, steer clear of downed lines. Electricity can flow through damp surfaces and you can be killed many feet away.
The roads are slick and there is a fair amount of debris. We would urge you to think twice before ranging far.
Coyote Update
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Following the frightening events in the Village of Wednesday night where three people were bitten by a coyote and a dog killed, yesterday involved further carnage as five more attacks throughout Greenburgh and Yonkers occurred (with four people injured). Two coyotes were pursued by County and Yonkers police into the Dunwoodie Park. A County officer was bitten by a coyote as it lunged out of the brush, and it was then promptly destroyed. The other coyote remains at large. Attacks however, have stopped, with none today.
Given the aggressiveness of the attacks over the last two days, it seems reasonable to assume that the slain animal was responsible for the attacks. However, there is no forensic evidence we can rely on to link the dead coyote to the other attacks, and so we have to assume that the culprit animal may still be at large, or has potentially infected other coyotes from its pack. Rabies may be responsible for these attacks. Since we cannot be certain that the attacking animal is yet dead, and that other animals recently infected may still be in a dormant phase and may become actively aggressive in the next 10-14 days (the typical incubation period), we must continue to act defensively for at least the next two weeks.
To this end, I have authorized the Police Chief and Village Manager to engage a professional trapper to trap and destroy any coyotes captured in Hillside Woods over the next two weeks. We will remain vigilant during this period, and continue to ask anyone in the village that sees a coyote to immediately report it to the Police Department (914-478-2344), as well as any animals encountered that are acting atypically (raccoons or possum out in broad daylight, etc.)
The parks will remain closed during this period while the trapper is active. You let your animals roam freely at your own pet’s peril – we cannot be held responsible if a pet dog or cat is ensnared during the emergency. I would strongly advise, once the emergency passes and the woods are reopened, that dog walkers keep their dogs on leash moving forward. Setting aside the fact that free-roaming dogs frighten people and damage the environment and that it is against park rules and regulations, your pets will always be at risk of encountering diseased animals or coyotes. I would suggest that this alone is not worth the risk, and that residents refrain from this indulgence.
Coyotes are now imbedded in the eco-system of Westchester. (They are not native – these are new to our area, having migrated here from the West, passing through Canada and picking up wolf genes along the way, which is why they are so much larger than their western cousins.) They are also incredibly hard to hunt, as they are wary, intelligent and quick – so we have admittedly limited expectations on the success of trapping. However, given the risk, we believe it is worth the effort until we are sure the danger period has passed.
Through these trying periods, we have been under collective stress and we appreciate your patience, good humor and forbearance. Join in me in thanking all our Village employees for what they have done and are doing over this period and, especially, the volunteers of the Fire Department who always go above and beyond and sit at this very moment, manning the houses, awaiting a call should it come.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor