Storm Blasts Huntington, Cutting Power and Taking Down Trees

Updated Wednesday 9 a.m.

Dozens of trees and power lines came down as Tropical Storm Isaias blasted through Huntington Tuesday afternoon, cutting power to thousands of residents. 

PSEG LI said the storm was one of the strongest storms to hit the area  in years and said people could be without power for extended periods of time. More than 370,000 lost power on Long Island, it said.    

Many residents reported problems with cellphone service and the failure of apps designed to allow them to report power outages or receive notifications. Others said emails were taking hours to arrive or that they could not make calls.

The utility said it has additional personnel to repair damage and restore outages. More than 2,000 line workers, tree trimmers, surveyors and other utility personnel are onsite to address outages.

A drive through neighborhoods from Huntington village to Commack found street after street blocked by fallen trees, storm debris or downed wires.   Traffic lights were out at many intersections.

A half dozen gas stations were busy as drivers rushed to fill tanks or gas cans.  In some places, bits of debris from paper to large pieces of broken tree limbs, would be suddenly swept up and blown about by gusts of wind. 

On Park  Avenue,  a few feet south of main  street, a large tree blocked the southbound lane.  Vehicles, including a US post office truck, squeezes past the tree on the roadway or by detouring through the pothole-filled lot on the northwest corner. Northbound vehicles, including a Huntington Community First Aid Squad ambulance with lights and sirens running and a Suffolk Police truck,navigated the lot to continue on their way.

 At least three trees on Main Street in Huntington Village were damaged.  Among the  many partially blocked off streets were Lenox Road in Huntington Station Little  plains road in Greenlawn, Centerport Road in Centerport and West Hills Road in Huntington Station south of Walt Whitman High school.  

The Centerport fire department closed  Route 25A And Park Circle  after fallen wires sparked on the road.

Many drivers negotiated streets carefully after being rerouted by storm damage.  Others , despite seeing cars in front of them stop and turn around, sped up to fallen trees before they were also forced to turn around. 

Residents in some neighborhoods went out quickly to their yards and streets to use their chainsaws rim to remove limbs and tree trunks.  In other areas, people say or stood by, waiting for help or just watching what was happening in the latest challenge of 2020. 

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