Storm Hub: 4 Deaths in Lower Hudson Valley

7:35 a.m.: 2,437 without power in Croton-on-Hudson this morning. 5,313 without power in Ossining.

7:31 a.m.: Ossining Police say there are power wires down throughout the village. They ask everyone to treat all wires as live and remain indoors until further notice. They also ask that you report immediate threats to life and property by calling 911.

7:30 a.m.: Hurricane Sandy has claimed at least four lives in the Lower Hudson Valley as of late Monday night/early Tuesday morning.

A tree crashed through a home in Pearl River at about 6 p.m. Monday, killing a man and placing his family in the hospital.

In North Salem, a tree came down Monday evening, killing two middle school-aged boys.

A motorist on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Greenburgh died due to the foul weather Monday evening, as well, according to reports.

The storm—an amalgam of several foul weather patterns—brought its worst rains and winds through the region between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday.

The National Hurricane Center was no longer labeling Sandy a hurricane as of 7 p.m. Monday, as it teetered on the edge of the northeast coastline—but the squall still held amazing power.

Nearly all municipalities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam have declared states of emergency, with evacuations in effect in Port Chester, Piermont, Yonkers and other villages and cities. Thousands throughout the three counties are without power.

Roads are populated by emergency vehicles, branches and debris. The Tappan Zee Bridge closed down to motorists at 4 p.m. Monday due to high winds.

The Hudson River is crashing through barriers and flooding coastlines along Nyack, Piermont, Tarrytowns and the river villages in Westchester. East, on the Sound Shore, the Long Island Sound is submerging parts of Rye and Port Chester.

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9:54 p.m.: Ossining & Croton schools closed on Tuesday.

9:51 p.m.: "Croton Police Chief Tramaglini and Assistant Village Manager Janine King report that many village streets and area roads are now blocked due to falling limbs from the high wind conditions," says Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman. "Numerous outages are now affecting growing numbers of residents. We have called in extra police officers. Our fire houses are on stand by. We have put a second paid EMT on duty to ensure our ambulance can respond as quickly as needed. We are monitoring the dead end streets that are blocked by storm damage. Be safe and stay indoors!"

9:49 p.m.: "This is as close as we’ve ever seen the water get to the house," says Ossining resident Andy Hofer. "Outbuildings all flooded. Two more feet of rise and we start taking stuff upstairs... High tide around 10:30-11. Glad we don’t have a basement."

7:38 p.m.: Ossining Mayor Bill Hanauer says that all non-essential Ossining vehicles are off the road. ConEd and DPW are unable to work due to sustained winds in excess of 30 MPH. Hanauer says that there are many downed trees and wires in Ossining. Currently there are no evacuations at this time, however officials are monitoring low-lying areas.

7:09 p.m.: 930 homes without power in Croton and Ossining. The number has decreased by 870 in the past hour.

5:56 p.m.: Croton-on-Hudson Mayor Leo Wiegman says, "As dusk falls, the Croton area has been fortunate so far with limited power outages and only a handful of limbs down on roads or power lines. One road closure is on Morningside Drive between Sunset and Old Post Road South (as pictured). In addition, the Village well-fields suffered a power outage in mid-afternoon. Water Department... reports the well field pumps are running on stand by power. Two village crew members will monitor the water tanks by hand overnight to ensure adequate supply."

5:32 p.m.: 56 homes without power in Croton. 1,746 without power in Ossining.

5:27 p.m.: Ossining Police are reminding all residents to stay off the roads right now.

4:00 p.m.: Tappan Zee Bridge is now shut down.

3:48 p.m.: Tappan Zee Bridge to close at 4 p.m.

3:47 p.m.: Due to the conditions expected from Hurricane Sandy, the regular Tuesday garbage pickup in Croton-on-Hudson has been cancelled. The Village will send out another notice as to when the pickup has been rescheduled.

3:46 p.m.: Ossining Police: The train station parking lot (west side of railroad tracks) will be closed. Cars parked in the lot will be moved to a municipal lot.

2:42 p.m.: Ossining PD: Rockledge Avenue is closed between Arcadian Shopping Center area (Accessible from Rt 9) to Revolutionary Rd.

2:11 p.m.: "Bridges over railroad tracks closed," says Ossining Mayor Bill Hanauer.

2:10 p.m. Tree down 61 Revolutionary Road, according to Ossining Mayor Bill Hanauer.

1:59 p.m.: Ossining Town Court will be Friday Nov 2 at 9:00 a.m. There is no court tomorrow due to the weather.

1:45 p.m. Ossining to declare a state of emergency at 5 p.m.

Ossining urges residents to stay off the roads so that their emergency teams can get to any problems and/or residents in need. Officials say Ossining is expected to have up to 55 MPH winds and up to 5.5" of rain over next 48 hours.

"Our employees are in and ready to assist as needed with clogged catch basins, down trees in the road and flooded streets," said Town of Ossining Supervisor Sue Donnelly. "The County Police have put on extra officers as have the Villages’ Police Department."

Joseph G. Caputo Community Center 95 Broadway Ossining will be open as a shelter for all residents of the Town of Ossining and the Village of Ossining, Village of Briarcliff and the Unincorporated area of the Town. The shelter will be open today through 10 p.m. Tuesday, and as needed after that time period.

The Ossining Town Senior Nutrition team has been working today and made sure that every senior who receives Meals on Wheels has two meals in case there is a problem tomorrow.

ConEd is telling Ossining officials that they have people coming in from as far away as California to assist with down wires. ConEd has told Ossining officials that members of Ossining's staff can not touch anything with wires down unless a ConEd representative has been on site to confirm that the wires are not live.

Ossining and Briarcliff schools are closed on Tuesday.

"The sanitation trucks were out today for the Monday pickup, but tomorrow might be a different story," said Supervisor Donnelly. "Halloween questions will be answered tomorrow evening after the community sees what the storm damages there are."

1:08 p.m.: 24 homes without power in the Town of Ossining. ConEd does not have an estimate as to when power will be restored at this time.

12:07 p.m.: 219 customers out Ossining-Briarcliff and 11 out Croton-Cortlandt.

11:46 a.m.: Bear Mountain Bridge Road, from Ansville Circle to the Bear Mountain Bridge, is closed due to flooding, according to state police.

10:38 a.m.: For Croton & Ossining the National Weather Service says, "STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING."

10:27 a.m.: "Due to the severe weather prediction, Monday evening’s Candidates Forum sponsored by the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce is postponed until further notice," says Chamber President Gayle Marchica.

9:49 a.m.: Black Cow says it will stay open today. Owner Michael Grant says, "As long as we have power The Black Cow in Croton will be open... It will be warm and cozy..."

8:40 a.m.: ConEd reporting no customers without power in Ossining and Croton-on-Hudson.

8:36 a.m.: The Croton-on-Hudson library has just announced that it will be closed today.

8 a.m.: The Village of Croton-on-Hudson has declared a state of emergency. Assistant Village Manager Janine King has directed authorities and officials to take whatever steps necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure and other such emergency assistance as deemed necessary. King is also ordering that the parks, arboretum, pedestrian bridge over Rt. 9 and the Croton-Harmon Station lots be closed. The state of emergency also says that "All pedestrian and vehicular movement, standing and parking, is prohibited; except for the provisions of designated essential services such as fire, police, and hospital services."

Sunday 11 p.m.: Forecast Update

Hurricane Sandy is about to start its turn north, the National Weather Service predicts at 11 p.m. It is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges, coastal hurricane winds and heavy Appalachian snows.

The storm now has maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour. 

The tempest is expected to veer westward overnight and move over the mid-Atlantic coast late Monday. According to computer-model simulations it will lose power Tuesday, with winds topping off around 55 miles per hour.

The region's Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

Flooding, for now, is the main focus of forecasters and federal disaster response agencies, according to Louis Uccellini, director the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center For Environmental Prediction.

The storm is anticipated to affect 50-60 million people along the east coast, from the Carolinas to New England and extending west into West Virgina and the Ohio Valley.

Sunday 8:18 p.m.: The Croton Library ebook and audiobook event scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed due to the hurricane.

Sunday 8:10 p.m.: The Village of Ossining will open its Emergency Operations Center at 9 a.m. Monday. The Village has issued a news release regarding the hurricane. That release is attached to this story as a PDF file.

Sunday 4:40 p.m.: Croton-on-Hudson & Ossining schools will be closed on Monday.

Sunday 3:50 p.m: The Village of Croton-on-Hudson says it will be activating its Emergency Operations Center at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Sunday 2:45 p.m.: The Town of Ossining has just released the following regarding Hurricane Sandy:

As the storm approaches it is essential that we all do our parts to make sure that the wellbeing and safety of all is considered.

We will have essential employees in during the storm to take care of downed trees and clogged storm drains but we ask that everyone be aware of their own situation and help as much as possible.  Please call the Town Hall at 914-7620-6001 or 914-703-7440 (cell) or the County Police at 864-7701 or for Village of Ossining residents- the Village Police at 914-941-5700 for non-emergencies and 911 for emergencies.  The cell number and Police are available 7/24

For loss of electricity please call 1-800-75CONED (1-800-752-6633).  On our conference call today they indicated that they have 300 mutual aid crews coming in from all over the country.

Go to www.hudson211.org for updates about the storm from NY Homeland Security during the storm.

Go to www. 511ny.org to find out about road closings and conditions before you venture out. They will have up to the minute reports on road condition.

All Ossining Town and Village Parks will close at 5:00 PM Sunday and will reopen when Superintendent of Parks and Recreation determines they are safe.

Metro North will be shutting down the trains this evening so the Village of Ossining has asked that no one park in the Commuter Parking Lots.  These are areas that flood easier and with the exceptional high tides expected with the storm there will be flooding in the areas.

We will be sending out another update tomorrow at about 11:00AM and will continue to throughout the storm.

Thank you and please make sure you secure all of your furniture, sports and recreational equipment  in your yard as well as your garbage and recycling containers.

Susanne Donnelly

Supervisor - Town of Ossining

Sunday 11:38 a.m.: Ossining's Mayor Bill Hanauer is telling residents not to park in Ossining's train parking lot because the commuter lots will flood. Hanauer says that all Village of Ossining parks will close at 5 p.m. today.

Sunday 10:26 a.m.: Metro-North will suspend all train service beginning at 7 PM on Sunday, October 28 due to the expected severity of Hurricane Sandy and its impact on our service territory.

Sunday 5:00 a.m.: St. Ann's Religious Education classes scheduled for Monday night have been cancelled due to the storm.

10/27/2012 3:33 p.m.: MTA has just released this information regarding Hurricane Sandy:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to begin planning for an orderly suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service, if Hurricane Sandy continues to bear down on the New York City metropolitan area.

A final decision on whether to suspend service will not be made until Sunday, but the MTA must begin preparing immediately for a possible suspension.

If a decision to suspend service is made Sunday, New York City subways and buses would begin an orderly suspension of service at 7 p.m. Sunday. Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road would suspend service at 7 p.m. Sunday. Some lines may be curtailed over a period of several hours before all service is suspended, but no one would be able to rely on any MTA service after 7 p.m. Sunday.

The MTA Hurricane Plan is designed to secure equipment and protect employees before dangerous sustained winds of 39 mph or higher and storm surges of 4 to 8 feet reach the area. This process must begin hours in advance of the storm’s arrival, as thousands of rail cars, subway cars and buses must be pulled from service and stored safely.

Customers are urged to monitor news reports, and mta.info for the latest updates.

10/27/2012 10:07 a.m.: Our 9th District County Legislator, Catherine Borgia, has sent out the following message regarding Hurricane Sandy:

Hurricane Sandy is expected to hit our neighborhoods sometime between Sunday and Tuesday.

Please take steps to make sure you and your family are prepared should we experience flooding, power loss, or other hazardous conditions as a result of this storm:

• Make sure you have sufficient water for three days, especially if your water supply is dependent on electricity.  The general rule of thumb is one gallon per day per person.  Fill up your tub with water to be used for cleaning purposes.
• Have non-perishable food on hand to last 3 days.
• Fill all prescriptions that are running low
• Charge all cell phones and other electronic devices so that you can get NS if the power gos out.
• Have flashlights, batteries, candles ready and accessible
• Have a family plan for where to meet if family members are separated during an emergency
• Have a "go bag" prepared in case you a required o evacuate quickly. Go bags should have all essential items such as first aid, glasses, prescription medicAtions, cash, blankets, flash lights, water, lightweight ready-to-eat food such as granola bars, nuts, etc. 
• Check your local municipality's website for the emergency shelters nearest to you in case you need to leave your home.

Go to www.westchestergov.com or www.redcross.org for more tips on how to prepare for hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Let's work together to stay safe!

-Catherine

10/26/2012: METRO-NORTH has released the following statement regarding Hurricane Sandy:

With weather forecasts calling for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy beginning this weekend, all MTA Agencies have begun storm preparations in order to ensure safe travel across the region.
We urge customers to monitor news reports and our website as service is subject to change as conditions demand.  We will update your local news outlets regularly, and “Service Status” on mta.info  will provide the latest information for all MTA train, subway, and bus services as well as bridge and tunnel conditions.  As the storm advances, our website may default to our ‘Weather Emergency’ site which will provide information that stays abreast of storm conditions and its impact on our services.
For your safety—should it become necessary—we urge customers to take any official calls to evacuate seriously.  Evacuations are called before the worst of the storm conditions are expected.

10/26/2012: Ossining and Croton officials are going over their storm preparation plans today, making sure that they are ready for the worst as Hurricane Sandy approaches. The storm, which is chugging towards us, is already causing closures on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

The Village of Croton-on-Hudson will be closing Permit Section H at its train station Monday morning. The section will remain closed through Tuesday. Officials are worried that the section will flood like it did during Tropical Storm Irene. Officials say Parking Section F may be susceptible to flooding as well. The two sections are east of Veterans Plaza. The Village is urging non-permit daily users to avoid parking at the station on Monday and Tuesday.

"The Village subscribes to a weather notification service that has daily and even hourly forecasts," said Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman. "Manager Zambrano frequently passes on these weather updates to the Board before and during storm events to keep us apprised. Our village prepares well in advance to deploy equipment and arrange staff coverage around the clock."

The Ossining Union Free School District is canceling its College Fair on Monday because of the impending storm. The College Fair was set to run from 7:45 a.m. until 10:25 a.m. at the high school.

Officials are urging people to make sure that their homes are prepared for Hurricane Sandy, pointing out that we could possible lose power, in addition to dealing with flooding and downed trees.

Here are some preparedness tips from the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, as Hurricane Sandy's approach.

The Village Police, DPW, FD and EMS are prepared and have crews on stand-by in case of emergencies.  If you experience loss of electrical power, please contact ConEd directly by calling 800-752-6633.  The community room in the Municipal Building will be available to residents beginning Monday morning at 7 a.m. if residents lose power and need to power cell phones and laptops. 

BEFORE THE STORM:
•    Bring inside all loose objects from your yard, porch or terrace, including yard furniture;
•    Secure  your doors and windows;
•    Stay tuned to local news sources for word on the storm’s timing and severity, and possible evacuation orders;
•    Check on relatives, friends and neighbors with disabilities or special needs;
•    Make sure you have on hand plenty of bottled water (1 gallon per person, per day), nonperishable food and plenty of batteries for all of your flashlights and portable radios;
•    Make sure valuables are secured in waterproof containers;
•    Pack a “Go Bag” and bedding in case you need to evacuate;
•    Keep friends and family notified of your whereabouts if you choose to leave your home;
•    Make sure you have supplies for your pets, infants and chronically ill family members. 
A “GO BAG” SHOULD INCLUDE:
•    Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo ID’s, proof of address, etc.)
•    Extra set of car and house keys
•    Copies of credit/ATM cards and $50-$100 cash in small denominations
•    Bottled water and nonperishable food such as energy or granola bars
•    Flashlight
•    Battery operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
•    Up-to-date medication information and other essential personal items.  Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.  Also, include all doctors’ names and phone numbers
•    First aid kit
•    Contact and meeting place information for your household and a small regional map
•    Child care supplies

HELPFUL NUMBERS 

Please only call 911 for emergencies. An alternative contact number is United Way's 211 HelpLine.

ConEd power outage or gas and electrical service problems: (800) 752-6633

County Parkways: Call the county police at (914) 864-7700 for the latest county parkway conditions You may want to check on major highway conditions across the county by visiting www.511ny.org. This site provides reports on roads across the county as well as state-wide. It details closures, incidents and other helpful traffic and transit conditions.

Thruway: (800)-THRUWAY for updated NY state thruway information

Local road conditions: Call the Croton-on-Hudson Police 271-5177. 

Bee-Line Buses: (914) 813-7777 for bus service status or (914) 995-7272 and press 2 at the prompt, for paratransit status 

Metro-North Railroad: 212-532-4900 

Other Non-Emergency: Call the Croton on Hudson Police non-emergency number 271-5177.

Other Utilities:  Please check your billing statement for telephone number.

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Complete Patch coverage:

• Red Cross Launches Multi-State Response
• AG Warns Against Price Gouging
• School Closings in the Hudson Valley

• Residents Prepare for Sandy's Onslaught [PHOTOS]

• How You Can Prep For Hurricane Sandy [VIDEO]

• Cuomo Declares State of Emergency for New York

• UPDATE: NWS Updates Rockland And Municipal Officials On Hurricane Sandy

• NYS Thruway Preps for Hurricane Sandy

• Video: MTA Prepping for Storm

• O&R Prepares For Storm As Severe As Irene

• Storm Preparation: Do You Have A Checklist?

• O&R Declares Storm Watch As Severe Weather Approaches