Hempstead Town supervisor tours hard-hit south Bellmore

According to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, of the 800 trees that fell across the town during Hurricane Irene, about 700 have been picked up. The last 100, said Murray, are stuck in power lines and can’t be touched until the lines are deenergized by the Long Island Power Authority.

Hurricane Irene made landfall on Long Island as a tropical storm on Sunday morning.

While touring Soma Avenue in south Bellmore on Wednesday afternoon, Murray said that the Town of Hempstead has made getting rid of the last trees its top priority. "We're literally driving behind the LIPA team,” she said. “So the minute they turn off the electricity, we're cutting these things up."

She also said that since most of the trees have already been picked up, the town has more manpower at the ready to collect the remaining 100 trees. "If LIPA gets all them turned down, I wouldn't be surprised if we were almost done today,” she said.

Murray said she had spent all morning and afternoon touring different parts of Merrick and Bellmore, as well as other parts of Hempstead, and has heard the same cries from residents. "It was kind of the same mantra from consumers,” she said. “‘Do you know when LIPA is coming? Have you seen the LIPA trucks?’ There seems to be widespread dissatisfaction in LIPA's response.

"It is a concern, quite frankly,” she continued. "There seemed to be a lack of presence for the first two days, easily."

Murray said she has spoken with Michael Hervey, LIPA’s chief operating officer, “countless times.” “I’d like to think that LIPA, after the storm is all put to bed, will take a look at their strategies,” she said.

A Town of Hempstead press release states that the town Department of Sanitation will conduct special curbside pickup of tree limbs, yard waste and other debris. Residents do not have to call the Sanitation Department to arrange for the pickup.

Although specific dates for curbside pickups cannot be guaranteed, town officials said they hope to remove the majority of debris by Friday, Sept 2.

Additionally, the town’s Sanitation Department facility in Merrick, located on Merrick Road just east of the Meadowbrook Parkway, will be open with extended hours until 7 p.m. for residents seeking to drop off their debris. According to a town spokesperson, the extended hours will run through Sept. 4.

While walking on Soma Avenue, Murray spoke with residents and viewed their homes, and while she voiced her amazement at the damage that Hurricane Irene inflicted on the Bellmore properties, she said she was equally amazed at the attitudes people have taken on. “They really are taking it with amazing amount of equanimity,” she said. “They're looking at huge amounts of dollars lost, but both families I was talking to said, ‘At least no one got hurt.’ That's the big picture we need to keep in mind."