Crews Clear Large Amount of Trees in New Hyde Park as of Friday

There were over 70 trees down in the Village of New Hyde Park in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, with many lying on houses and property.

In an e-mail sent from village officials, highway crews, along with contractors, have reportedly cleared a significant amount after working “from dawn to dusk clearing trees and branches. We are making every attempt possible to clear this condition by the end of this weekend.”

There are only 7 trees reportedly left to be removed.

“These trees are entangled in electrical wires so we need LIPA Tree Crews to perform their removal,” village officials said in an e-mail. “We have been informed by LIPA that they will remove these trees on Sunday.”

Sanitation, recyclables, yard waste and newspaper collections remain on regular schedule in the village while regular curbside leaf collection has been suspended until further notice. 

Many areas of the village are still without power and officials say that LIPA has not provided any official information to the village as to their restoration schedule.

The LIPA web site states “....at this time, we expect to restore the majority of customers who lost power by the weekend of Nov. 10th and 11th...”

LIPA can be reached at 1-800-490-0075 or http://www.lipower.org/stormcenter

The New Hyde Park Village Hall does not have power, heat or telephone service.

The clerk’s office, village traffic court, and the building department have been relocated to our disaster recovery site at the DPW Facility at 498 Stewart Avenue.

The New Hyde Park Fire Department remains in full operation as they had been throughout the storm.

“We commend them for their bravery,” officials said in an e-mail. “We are also very saddened with the loss of life of one of our residents in an early morning fire on Jericho Turnpike this past Thursday.” 

The Water Authority of Western Nassau County has reported on their website (as of November 2 at 9 p.m.) that “....the Water Authority’s water supply was and is safe to drink.......”

Cablevision and FiOS have reported outages in and around the New Hyde Park Area, primarily due to power outages. They have been in all areas of the village working on restoration.

As power begins to be restored, residents are reminded to avoid contact with downed wires.

Mayor Daniel Petruccio declared a State of Emergency in the Village of New Hyde Park on Oct. 29, 2012, which remains in effect until further notice.

The Hillside Public Library has internet and wifi service.

The American Red Cross has opened six feeding sites in areas of Long Island.  Red Cross workers are today distributing water, snacks and personal hygiene comfort kits at each location. A total of 3,300 meals (sandwiches) will be available at lunch and dinner at each site. The hours of operation for each feeding site will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and from 4 pm to 6 pm for dinner. These sites are expected to be operational at least through the weekend.

The closest site to the village would be Christopher Morley Park, 500 Searingtown Road in Roslyn.

Town of North Hempstead residents without power can find some relief at one of the town’s comfort stations that opened Saturday.

“The town’s comfort stations offer a place to get out of the cold and into an indoor heated environment,” Supervisor Jon Kaiman said in a statement.

North Hempstead Comfort Stations will offer residents a heated indoor locations to charge their electronic devices, access free wifi, and take a hot shower.

The comfort stations will begin opening on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the  Aquatic Activity Center at Tully Park.

Residents can also email the Village at NHPInfo@vnhp.org or visit the web site at www.vnhp.org.