Surviving Sandy: Mayor Sees Village as Lucky

Trees blocks roads, power lines sagged and roof shingles littered roadways like fall leaves. That was the state of Northport Tuesday as residents and officials assessed the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

With gusts measured at 94 mph off Eatons Neck late Monday, there’s no doubt the storm’s winds were catastrophic. 

But as Northport Village Mayor George Doll evaluated the aftermath, the conclusion was simple: It could have been worse, much worse. The storm was neither the rainmaker or flood threat – at least in Northport – that was initially feared. 

Related: Storm Photos l Live Blog

“Considering the forecast I think we did quite well,” Doll said Tuesday. “There are a lot of trees down, but it could have been a lot worse.” 

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The storm surge from the Long Island Sound pushed Northport Harbor over its bulkhead and into the parking lots at Northport Village Park at noon and midnight. But merchants weren’t flooded out of Main Street.

The real danger now are intersections without working traffic lights and power lines that might still be live. Northport Police Chief Ric Bruckenthal encouraged homeowners not to touch any limbs or trees on their property that are also touching power lines.

“The gawkers are out and it’s still dangerous,” Bruckenthal said. “We really don’t know if those wires are still live.” 

Nearly 88,000 customers are without power in the Town of Huntington as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Long Island Power Authority. That includes 6,300 in Elwood, 5,450 in Northport, 4,248 in Centerport, 3,425 in East Northport, 483 Eatons Neck and 29 in Asharoken.

The good news: Power was restored to Main Street by the morning, a departure from Tropical Storm Irene, which knocked out electricity for three days.

, saw as much as he stopped in to survey the scene. 

“We have power on Main Street,” Doll told Israel.

“You don’t know how lucky you are,” Israel replied.

“Well, I don’t live on Main Street,” Doll said. The mayor lost a tree on his property but it did not cause any damage.

Utility crews were seen in the area and key traffic signals were restored. But more than 80 percent of Long Island still in the dark, there are hard days ahead for thousands still without power.

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