Last weekend Hurricane Irene hit Long Island with tropical storm strength winds and rain. As of Friday afternoon, September 2nd, LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) was reporting that there were still approximately 7,800 customers throughout the town without power. Historically August 2011 was one of the wettest Augusts’ on record. A combination of a wetter than normal August, additional rain from the storm and winds exceeding 60 miles an hour for an extended period of time caused hundreds of trees in Smithtown to uproot, break and lose branches, often taking power lines with them.
People throughout the town have stories to tell of life without power, Internet, phone service, refrigeration and television. During the month’s that follow there will be discussions of the weaknesses that were exposed during the storm. There are bound to be conversations about communication failures, the pros and cons of burying power lines and having a single provider for cable, phone and Internet.
Those discussions can wait until next week.
Today, the discussion should be about heroes. And there were many of them. You probably saw them or perhaps you are one of them. They were the people checking on their neighbors, helping those without refrigeration, phones and hot water. The heroes are the volunteer firefighters who were trimming trees, directing traffic and checking on the elderly. The heroes are the Police officers who stood out in the rain and brought order to traffic jams, Ems personnel, public safety personnel and the lines-men and women who dealt with extraordinary circumstances and still managed to get power up and running.
There will be plenty of time for criticism and to review the adequacy of the response to Hurricane Irene. Today, however, as we begin Labor Day Weekend, a holiday acknowledging the contributions, struggles and sacrifices made by working people it seems appropriate that we recognize the contributions made by working people during Hurricane Irene.
Special recognition goes to:
Mike at Smithtown Bagels Inc., 1 Miller Pl. Smithtown. Smithtown Bagels was an oasis in the desert to those of us wandering around desperately seeking caffeine last Sunday and every day since. Thank you Mike!
Starbucks In Commack – Starbucks became the go to place for Internet access and to get some work done. For many the hardest part of life without power was the inability to log on and get some work done. The Commack Starbucks, across from the Mayfair Shopping Center, provided that access. Each time I went there every table, chair and outlet was occupied. The staff was friendly, helpful and never did they make anyone feel uncomfortable or pressure anyone to make a purchase.
WBLI - Thank you and thank you! Radio station WBLI provided the public with information. In a world accustomed to access to information 24/7 there was little to be found. WBLI filled that void. It quickly became the go to place for information about the storm, outages in our area, what was happening with LIPA and the restoration of power in our area. KUDOS to WBLI !
Smithtown Matters wishes swift power return to those still without … To all those who labored to make it happen, our gratitude. Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!
Pat Biancaniello