Piermont Looks into Storm Weaknesses

Piermont officials are saying the river village got off relatively easy after and August's , but may not in the future.

"We should be looking at ways to be more self-sustainable over time," said Christopher Sanders, Piermont's mayor. "Piermont got off light on both of these [storms], but I don’t think that mitigates the very fragile environment we live in."

"If things get really bad, we're on our own in Piermont," he added.

On Tuesday evening, Sanders spoke with the village's first responders— Police and the village DPW—about possible chinks in the municipality's armor. Police chief Michael O'Shea and head of the DPW Tom Temple noted authorities work together quickly and efficiently, but often the terrain itself is the problem.

"The real problems we had during both storms were on 9W and Erie Path," Temple said. This Monday, downed branches on 9W caused a . And since it is a state road, New York officials are required to pitch in—but they are not always out in full, Temple said.

"When it comes to communication with the [state]… I don’t know where to start," he said. "Every storm they neglect to come check and see if the drains are open on 9W, and they don’t clean them afterward." Temple added that during Irene, it took hours for just two state workers in a pick-up truck to respond.

O'Shea noted Piermont should equip —which acts as headquarters during weather disasters—with more supplies, be they food, cots or back-up generators.

"With a little bit of work we could be totally self-sufficient," he said. During Hurricane Floyd, authorities cooked hot meals for displaced residents. And during Saturday's storm, a child on life support from a home at Hudson Terrace that lost power was brought to Village Hall and hooked up to a generator.

Still, some Piermont residents may argue the village did not get off light—according to the O&R outage website, dozens of Piermonters remain in the dark. And after Irene, homeowners living near Sparkill Creek had to use kayaks and canoes to leave their front doors.