Village meets challenges of Hurricane Sandy

By Ginny Privitar

CHESTER — At the Nov. 5 village board meeting, Mayor Philip Valastro thanked all the village employees for their efforts during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath.

Valastro and Police Chief Pete Graziano noted that some employees, including the village police, worked 12-hour shifts helping the public and, only after that, went home to deal with whatever problems they had, including downed trees on their property. He said it was through the teamwork of all village employees that things were much better than they could have been. He also noted that while assisting Graziano & Orange and Rockland in distributing dry ice, he was amazed at how many people came over to ask what they could give.

From Oct. 29 and Nov. 4, the police department received 89 calls for service, 35 of them storm-related.

“They came through in great spirit and fashion," Graziano said of his department.

There were no serious accidents in the village due to the storm. On Oct. 31, the village's building inspector, John Orr, conducted a damage assessment of the village after Hurricane Sandy: damage to structures was minimal, with some minor roof damage, but one building downtown had roofing material completely blown off.

Dumped leaves complicate storm work

The chief acknowledged comments from citizens thanking them for assistance on calls. Additionally, the department and Officer Kim DeGroodt were thanked for handling traffic at Cumberland Farms during the gas crisis, when it was the only station dispensing gas.

The snow ordinance is in effect from Nov. 1 to April 15. Since a week before the hurricane, the street department worked on clearing leaves and drains. But over the weekend, some residents put out more leaves in the middle of the street or in drainage areas near catch basins, so workers had to go out again Sunday afternoon and do another cleanup before the hurricane arrived.

In case of another strong storm, residents are asked to rake leaves only to the edge of their property — not into the street. Wet leaves in the road are also a hazard for drivers.

Gas lines in the village

Valastro said a state senator has suggested requiring every gas station to have generators to operate credit card machines, along with pumps, in the event of a storm or outage. Valastro had invoked a $50 limit on individual gas purchases in the village during the gas shortage, and noted that the public and station owners were very cooperative.

Orr noted that newer stations, like Quick Check, are equipped with generators when they are built.

Graziano said department also helped distribute dry ice. The police department, at 47 Main Street, will accept donations to assist victims of the storm. For more information call the station at 469-4111.