Community Corner
Glen Cove Looks Back at Hurricane Sandy
A retrospective of the superstorm that struck Long Island one year ago today.
Superstorm Sandy slammed into Long Island one year ago on this day causing mass destruction. The City of Glen Cove's response was one of the largest in the city's history involving almost every agency and department.
Sandy cost Glen Cove over $1 million dollars when all was said and done. The Village of Sea Cliff alone shipped off 100 tons of tree debris.
The raging winds and rain caused flooding and downed trees at Glen Cove's parks and beaches, with Pryibil Beach being hit particularly hard with erosion and sand displacement. Over 91 trees were lost along the waterfront.
Nearly 150 trees were also downed, on purpose, in the Welwyn Preserve. When the County felled trees it deemed dangerous in future storms in the 240 acre preserve, many residents were outraged.
Glen Cove's residents faced weeks of lingering inconvenience after Sandy. Nearly two thirds of the City was without power nearly one week later as LIPA struggled to return electricity to over a million Long Islanders.
Residents began relying on generators to keep their homes warm and supply limited power. The gas required to fuel the generators contributed to a massive temporary fuel shortage that saw lines of both cars and people snaked around City blocks, snarling traffic and tempers.
One Glen Cover lost his life when a kerosene lamp accident caused a fire at the Whitney Circle home of Lewis and Sally Bodi a week after Sandy. Lews Bodi, 87, died in the fire.
The City's departments worked around the clock during and after Sandy in concert with the National Guard and other inter-governmental agencies as well as the American Red Cross, which set up a shelter at Glen Cove High School. In an effort to help harder hit communities, 31 DPW workers and Mayor Ralph Suozzi went to Long Beach to assist with Sandy clean up.
Unfortunately, the Glen Cove Public Works Supervisor was fired for filing for overtime payments while working in the Long Beach Sandy cleanup convoy.
Halloween was lost in the midst of Sandy's chaos, though voters still came out in droves to cast their vote in the Presidential election.
Tell us, what was your experience during Sandy? Do you think Glen Cove is prepared for another disaster?
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