Commack
Homeless Woman Killed by Falling Tree in Commack
A homeless woman living in Commack woods was killed by a falling tree, according to Suffolk County police. Anne Marie Dolan, 57, was killed when a tree fell on her tent in the woods off Veterans Memorial Highway, near the King Kullen Plaza, according to police. Police said one of Dolan's friends who knew she was living in a tent, was searching for her during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. She had a rough idea of where Dolan was living, but did not know the exact location. Upon finding the collapsed tent on Monday, the searcher called her husband to look inside the tent that was set up in woods adjacent to 124 Veterans Memorial Highway, according to police.
The couple then called police at approximately 3 p.m. Monday. Dolan was pronounced dead by a physician from Suffolk County's Office of the Medical Examiner.
Hauppauge
Fitzpatrick Will Celebrate Victory After Locals Get Power Back
While fresh off being re-elected and clear goals to relieve mandates on local government and help eliminate the tax burden from his constituents, Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick, R-St. James, believes now is not the time to celebrate his victory. "I'm not really savoring the victory today because it's just been very busy trying to help people with the storm situation," he said. "When this calms down I'll take a little time and celebrate, take my wife out to dinner and we'll have a nice evening, but right now I'm focused on helping people get their lights back on."
Smithtown
Nor’easter Piles on Smithtown Town’s Hurricane Cleanup
Smithtown officials said the passing nor'easter had a major impact on their efforts to cleanup and recover from Hurricane Sandy's damage. John Valentine, Smithtown's Director of Emergency Management Services, said the highway department under Superintendent Glenn Jorgensen had to quickly change gears on Wednesday, being pulled away from ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery to an "ice and snow control mission." "Early on, we recognized we were going to have to deal with those conditions, ice and snow and slush, so we made a decisive switch," Valentine said. "Something that could have been much more damaging was immediately put under control." The second storm caused crews to lose valuable time as town trucks needed to be brought, different equipment provided for the trucks and workers. Despite their best efforts, the strong winds and icy mix of the nor`easter has left the town with a larger mess to clean up.
Three Village
Englebright: Consider Burying Power Lines Underground
On the heels of Hurricane Sandy and just days before a nor'easter walloped Long Island too, one state legislator said consideration should be given to whether power lines should be buried underground. New York State Assemb. Steve Englebright, D-Setauket, said Friday that leaders should evaluate the costs associated with that kind of change to the local infrastructure, acknowledging that it would be expensive but suggesting it would be worthwhile.
Citing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's recent statements about storm frequency, Englebright said it's time to look at options such as these "as a matter of policy." "I suggest that the cost will be less over time if these storms continue to have a high frequency of occurrence," said Englebright, who won re-election to a 12th term in office on Tuesday.
