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Hurricane Sandy brought devastating winds to the area, downing trees and power lines throughout Port Chester and knocking out electricity to nearly 70 percent of 10,254 Con Edison customers in Port Chester. In some cases, power wasn’t restored for nearly two weeks.
Port Chester entered a state of emergency and downtown residents were ordered to evacuate Sunday, Oct. 28, before the storm hit. Schools were shut down and even more downtown residents were ordered to leave the area by Monday afternoon.
Port Chester High School opened as an emergency shelter and stayed available for days. Many roads in both villages were blocked by downed trees and wires, causing hazardous road conditions. Downtown residents of Port Chester who were evacuated due to flooding returned to homes without any power.
Several events in Port Chester were canceled, including meetings, Halloween events in the village and Capitol Theatre shows. Rye Brook and Port Chester leaders discouraged trick-or-treaters due to downed power lines and trees as well as a lack of street lights, making areas of both villages hazardous for walking or traveling.
Gas stations throughout the village, particularly on Boston Post Road, were closed or without gas for days.
The village distributed dry ice at the Port Chester Senior Community Center. The center was also used as a warming and charging center, as well as a place where residents without power could get a hot meal. L.A. Fitness and the Carver Center offered showers for residents without power or displaced by the storm.
It’s been two months since Hurricane Sandy hit Port Chester, but the villages are still feeling its effects. Both Rye Brook and Port Chester have applied for FEMA grants to help pay for cleanup costs. Most recently, the Rye Brook village Board of Trustees voted Dec. 12 to modify the village budget by dipping into the contingency fund, sewer account and unallocated insurance to pay for worker overtime and tree cleanup costs.
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