Town Of Smithtown Still Recovering After Serious Storm

SMITHTOWN, NY - Smithtown is still recovering Wednesday after an unexpected storm hit the area hard this past weekend, causing severe damage to areas within the towns.

Winds up to 60 mph caused downed power lines, uprooted, fallen and large tree limbs. There were also multiple power outages reported in the area.

The town of Smithtown was one of the three towns in Suffolk County to be hit the hardest.

According to town officials, all Emergency response units are still working to clean up and address the needs of the community.

Residents who are still without power, spoiled food and tree debris have a number of resources available to them to ensure quality of life is restored before the holiday weekend.

"It was a fun day with the whole family, that quickly became frightening. I ran up to Main Street, Kings Park after the storm passed to survey trees on top of cars, power outages and to assess the damage," Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said. "Residents without power, spoiled food to dispose of, or storm debris in need removal, are reminded to contact the appropriate departments so we can help get your home ready for the July 4th weekend. Please know we are working around the clock to cleanup in this unexpected event and we will not rest until your standard of living has been reinstated."

Municipal Services Facility (MSF) will be open to residents who wish to dispose of spoiled food from the power outages, during regular business hours.

Private garbage carters do not pick up waste on holidays, which includes the Fourth of July.

Residents with a larger than normal amount of garbage may wish to drop off solid waste to MSF which is located at 85 Old Northport Road in Kings Park.

Hours are from 7 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. five days a week. No hazardous waste.

Tree and debris removal operations have been underway since the storm passed Sunday afternoon.

While the Highway fleet continues efforts to remove all "Right of Way" town tree debris, residents should place branches, cut to no longer than 6 feet in length, neatly piled at the roadside. Smaller branches should be tied and bundled.

"If you still have trees waiting to be picked up, please call the highway department with the address of the removal. I would just ask that residents have patience as we get through the cleanup, after this unexpected storm," Superintendent of Highways Robert Murphy said. "Our team is dealing with lots of landscapers dumping debris on the street, not adhering to the town code. This causes delays in our operations as we need to stop to cut large stumps and trees. However, We won’t stop until we’ve gotten to every call."

The Smithtown Highway Department addressed a total of 250 to 300 fallen or uprooted trees reported to the Department. That number is expected to increase as cleanup is still underway.

According to PSEG Long Island, over 17,000 residents in the Commack and Hauppauge area experienced power outages. The majority of those customers now have power.

On Tuesday, there were approximately 1,800 PSEG customers in the Town of Smithtown affected by outages, primarily in Commack.

As of Wednesday morning, that number has been reduced to 80 customers affected. PSEG estimates that power will be restored to every customer in Smithtown by 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Last night, PSEG briefly shut down power in the Pickwick Drive area between Veterans Memorial Highway and Jericho Turnpike and along Harned Road and Wyandanch Boulevard in order to cut down damaged trees leaning on power lines.

Officials also provided residents with the following tips to help in the recovery efforts:

Power Outages:

• PSEG Information: View PSEG Long Island’s outage map Click Here
• To report and receive status updates on an outage Text OUT to PSEGLI (773454) or to report an outage online visit www.psegliny.com
• To register, have your account number available and text REG to PSEGLI (773454)
• Downed wires should always be considered "live."
• Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything contacting the wire.
• To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number: 1-800-490-0075

Tree Debris, Flooding or Road Concerns:

• To report tree debris for pickup, flooding and other storm related conditions along the roads, contact the Highway Department at (631) 360-7500

Stranded Vehicles:

• If there is an emergency, dial 9-11 immediately.
• All non life-threatening calls can be directed to the Department of Public Safety by calling (631) 360-7553

Suffolk 311:

• Suffolk County 311 is a central call center available to residents who do not know which number to call for any non-emergency.
• Residents can reach the 311 line Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or leave messages after hours.

Animals & Family Pets:

• To report animals in distress, strays or other loose domestic or wild animals please call (631) 360-7575

Elderly Neighbors & Special Needs individuals:

• Always check on your neighbors living with disabilities, special needs or senior citizens.
• Make sure they have an emergency phone, plenty of water, food and blankets.
• Ask if they have someone to call in the event of an emergency.