Message from the Mayor: Storm and Coyote Update 3-March-2018

Peter Swiderski
Fellow residents,
The aftermath from the storm is quite significant County-wide. This email covers that, the impact on the Village and what you can expect, and the latest important developments on the coyote situation.
 
Storm Update
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The storm’s aftermath has significantly affected the entire County – over 74,000 homes are without power, hundreds (if not thousands) of trees are down and roads shut everywhere.  We have 328 homes out in Hastings – in a large cluster centered on Euclid Avenue and another large cluster in Uniontown, with a sporadic number beyond that. We are, compared to the County, lightly affected. (!)  The list (as of this morning 11AM) is (here).  Con Ed will not start restoring power until tomorrow, and it may be days before everyone in Hastings is restored. We cannot remove trees from roadways until the Con Ed depowers the wires, so that may take a couple of days as well. We have asked them to prioritize Broadway and Farragut as they are emergency vehicle access roads. 
 
What you need to know:
  • Downed wires are still “hot” – energized. THEY REMAIN DANGEROUS. Do not approach them and make sure your dog is on a short leash. Live wires will kill instantly.
  • If you haven’t registered your outage with Con Ed, do so here (www.coned.com).  If you have done so, do not do so again.
  • Assume you will be without power for days. Plan accordingly. If power is restored sooner, consider yourself fortunate,
  • If you need shelter, the Andrus Home is generously offering a limited number of rooms. Please contact the Police Department if you need shelter (914-478-2344).
  • The Community Center, downstairs, is open and warm.  We have free wifi as well. The library also offers free wifi.  If you want to charge your phone, you can bring it to the Community Center too.   
  • Don’t call the Police Department for updates:  they have no new information. They are contending with both the storm and coyote situation so refrain from calling unless it is a true emergency. We will put out a daily bulletin to keep you informed. It will be posted on the Community Center front door and Library front door during the duration of the emergency.
  • The Village has little impact on Con Ed’s prioritization process of what is restored in what order and can’t help on that. 
  • Check on your elderly or disabled neighbors if their power is out. Our Fire Department will be doing so as well for those that have registered with the Police Department or Senior advocate.  The temperature will remain in the 35-45 degree range and so houses are going to lose their stored heat pretty quickly.
Coyote Update
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The coyote that was killed after attacking a County police officer was rabid, the Department of Health reports. There have been no subsequent attacks. Rabies has a two-week latency and so we must assume that any coyotes in Hillside may be infected but not yet showing aggressive behavior.  We are going to keep the parks closed for the next two weeks as a professional trapper focuses on attempting to trap any coyotes in Hillside, Uniontown and Quarry Parks.  The trapper may also bring in a sharpshooter in the dusk and early evening hours as well. Do not go in the woods until the Village reopens the parks or let your dogs or cats out or off the leash during the duration of this emergency. You put your pets at lethal risk if you do so and the Village cannot be held responsible . They risk attack or getting snared in the woods.
 
This is a small community and we are fortunate to have a dedicated small-town municipal force and volunteer Fire Department where we care for each other in ways small and large. We rally to help each other and we do so now.  We’ve been through this before. What we rely on is your patience, good humor, forbearance and generosity. Together, we will get through this as we get through everything.
 
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor
mayor@hastingsgov.org