Community Corner
Concerns Mount As Downed Trees, Live Wires Linger After Storm
Six days after Irene, the residents of Dovecote Lane are dealing with no power and unsafe conditions.
Residents in the neighborhood near Dovecote Lane in Commack are voicing concerns over three large trees that fell during Tropical storm Irene early Sunday.
"We heard a loud boom and the house shook," said Pete Moffat, describing the noise he heard when an uprooted tree fell in front of his Dovecote Lane home, landing atop his roof and brand new Prius at 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
Six days later, the fallen tree remains on his property. So do the power lines that it dragged down.
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As of Friday afternoon, those wires are still live, a National Grid employee told Patch. He's stationed outside of the house to guard the wires.
Residents are not only frustrated about days without power, but are concerned over the unsafe conditions in the neighborhood.
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"Children are in the area, touching and climbing over the trees, and people are coming to take pictures; we're all afraid that someone could be very seriously injured," said Helen H., who lives on Burton Lane, directly parallel to Dovecote.
Until Friday, the wires and trees were left unattended. On Sunday, members of the Commack Fire Department put caution tape up, blocking the trees to motorists. However, the tape did not deter pedestrians from getting an up-close view of the destruction.
Another resident said the block has become "like a tourist attraction" for neighbors and passerby, who are likely unaware of the live power lines entangled in the trees.
Earlier this week, LIPA crews came and cut down four trees that had fallen across the streets. The debris now sits in large mounds on the curbs, spilling out into the streets. Residents have yet to receive any word on when Town of Huntington crews will come to remove it.
For now, homeowners eagerly wait for LIPA to arrive and restore their power as Labor Day weekend approaches.
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