Crime & Safety

Residents Wake to Damage, Danger After Hurricane Sandy

Even as the storm lingers, people are trying to figure out how to clean up safely.

On the morning after the worst of Hurricane Sandy blew through the region, residents have woken up to downed power lines, fallen trees and closed roads all posing hazards and causing grief.

A car on Ficus Street in Mt. Sinai was crushed by a large tree that took down power lines that draped across the road and onto neighborhood homes and other cars.

A woman who lives in a house across the street said she had to go around the back of her home to get out to avoid power lines. She was heading to a neighbor's home to charge her cell phone.

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I had to be creative to get out,” she said.

She called police and LIPA the night before. She was told that there are lines down everywhere and that everyone has an emergency.

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A LIPA crew showed up to assess the damage at around 9:30 a.m.

They said that they would be out for days checking on downed lines and restoring power. For Ficus Street, the live power line proved especially dangerous and they said they’d have to shut down the power before they could start repairs.

Elsewhere, police had Route 112 at Nesconset Highway closed down due to a downed power line and a broken traffic light. Cars on Route 112 were being diverted south onto Jayne Bloulevard. Northbound traffic was being turned east on Route 347.

The mayor of Belle Terre was out with village police on Cliff Road at a blockage. People who made their way down the road said there were multiple downed trees and branches in the road. One young resident said he thought it would take days before it was all cleaned up.

Come back as we update you with the latest information about the day after Hurricane Sandy.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.