The Town of Mamaroneck issued a second storm alert via e-mail and phone on Sunday, March 14, reporting on the number of homes without power and warning residents to stay away from downed wires.
On Sunday, over 1000 homes in the unincorporated area were without power. By Monday morning, the count was down to 600, according to Town Administrator Steve Altieri.
Larchmont Fire Chief Richard Heine said Con-Edison reported there were 2400 Village of Larchmont customers without power over the weekend. That was down to 219 by Tuesday, with 175 of those related to the downed transformer on Monroe Avenue. Firefighters responded to 60 calls, which compares to the typical 2 per weekend. They pumped out basements at 13 residences and the Larchmont Temple.
Trees in Trouble
Mr. Altieri said no storm related injuries had been reported, but there was property damage. Falling trees and tree limbs accounted for much of the problem.
Trees are like us,” said Mr. Altieri. “They get old. The secret is to have them maintained and inspected periodically. If you see a dead limb, have it trimmed.”
Asked about uprooted trees,” Mr. Altieri said, “Remember, you had very wet ground. Wet ground becomes unstable and can’t support the tree. And then you have certain species of trees that can’t support their root systems.”
The damage could have been a lot worse, said Mr. Altieri. Trees have not started putting out leaves – a tree in leaf would have been even more vulnerable to storm effects.
The Gazette is continuing to post photographs from the storm and its aftermath. E-mail photographs for inclusion to publisher@larchmontgazette.com