Update 11-6-12

 

Hi,

 

A couple of happier notes before I get to possibly too-familiar storm news.  Many of those affected unfortunately still can't read this, and they're way too aware of what's happening.  The rest of us can mainly send support.

 

From Jerry Bittman:  Congratulations to Artie and Lee Halprin on becoming grandparents.  Their daughter Allyson gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

 

From Neil Guberman:  VOTE!  VOTE!  VOTE!

 

From Andy Dolich to Steve Cahn:  I too was a "Kille Catcher" using a glass milk bottle -- does anybody remember the dairy that delivered those bottles?  And what did we do with those poor defenseless Killies -- and why were they called Killies? -- that were lured into our bottles with bread, white or rye?
    Another indelible Creek memory from our Ozzie and Harriet childhood.  My new book Tales from the Creek will be published in the spring.

 

From Valerie Nelson Gillen:  About the creek -- I swam off my neighbors' dock in that dirty water for years!  Loved it.  You had to swim because you did not want to touch that mucky crappy bottom.

    As a kid, I had an aluminum boat with a big 5 horsepower engine.  I could row faster than that motor could go.  But did I have a great time on that thing.  I would take it upstream and stop at my friend's house.  I never had enough nerve to go under bridge to Jamaica Bay  I guess I was a bit of a chicken liver.  In the winter, the stream would freeze over, and we would play ice hockey. 

    Steve Cahn mentioned the Sherwoods.  I do recall my first kiss was with Roy Sherwood.  Oh, my goodness, what a memory!

 

From Lynn Nudelman Villagran:  I remember an after school fight involving girls, but it wasn't in high school.  My two sisters and I "beat up" a boy on our block when we were in elementary school.  I guess he bullied us once too often.  I think Ellen and I held him, and Nancy punched him in the stomach.  I nevertheless grew up to be a very non-violent person and good citizen.

 

And then storm news.

 

Again, from Valerie:  No power for me.  The bay water down my block is coming over the dock like ocean waves.  Quite interesting.  But I am a tough old broad, and I will be fine.  85% if Long Island is without power, and "they" say it could take 7 to 10 days to fully repair.  Perhaps by then I won't be so tough!

 

From Jay Berliner:  I took a ride over to Mill Pond yesterday, just to see if it had flooded.  It hadn't, but it looked like every block had a tree or major limb down.  It was really a mess.  The good news was that it didn't look like any house had damage.  Of course, I didn't look at every house, but it seemed that everyone was safe.

    All is well with me.  My house never lost electricity, but our new house still doesn’t have it.  That really doesn’t matter as we don’t live there yet.

 

More from Lynn:  Thanks for asking about Ellen and Steve.  They have no power but have water and a gas stove to cook on.  Ellen has a car phone charger and has been able to read her ipad and text and call on cell.  My nieces in Brooklyn did not lose power.  What a disaster.

 

From my sister Marilyn:  Mom's neighbor mentioned that a big tree came down in front of Forest Road School and crushed two cars.

 

From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  It will take months, but rebuilding will happen.  We rebuilt after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and we are better and stronger than ever.  Hang in there.

 

From Linda Tobin Kettering, by way of Facebook:  Still no power.  Finally got gas after waiting in line for two- and-a-half hours.  Highlight of my day is the quiet time at night when I sit in the car, charge my phone, and call my friends and family. Thanks to all who have offered us food and shelter from the storm.  I am so grateful to have such wonderful people in my life.

 

More from  Valerie, on Facebook:  Waited on line for gas for 1 hour and gas station ran out of gas.  All other stations closed.  Looks like I am home for the day/days,

 

From Claire Ann Brush Reinhardt, on Facebook:  House still in one piece.  None of our humongous trees fell on the house.  We have no power, heat, phone or hot water.  Long Island Power Authority says they cannot tell us when we will get power back.  As a matter of fact, our address has not even been scheduled to be worked on yet.  I am writing this at my cousin's house where they have power.  Hope to post again when we are back in business, but that may not be for 2 or 3 weeks.  Stay safe everyone.

 

More from Linda, on Facebook:  All the creeks overflowed and sent rivers of water down the adjacent streets, moving quickly from one street to the next.  It has been like living in some strange, futuristic sci-fi movie about the end of days.  Or in Little House on the Prairie.  I prefer the latter analogy.

 

Part of an article from the Long Island Herald:  Fire Guts South Valley Stream Home by Andrew Hackmack:

    A fire touched off by gasoline fumes destroyed a home in the Mill Brook section of South Valley Stream early Friday morning.  According to Fire Chief John Beck, the fire broke out shortly after 4 AM on November 2 at 66 Brook Road, a dead-end street off of Riverdale Road.  Beck said first arriving firefighters were met with heavy fire on the first and second floors, and flames were blowing out the front door.
Beck added that a gasoline container was being stored next to the home to be used to power a generator. The woman who lives in the house opened the door to leave, and a candle burning inside ignited the gasoline fumes.

    There were no injuries.  The woman was the only occupant of the home. and Beck said she was able to find friends to stay with.  With many residents using generators in the blackout following Hurricane Sandy, Beck urged caution when storing gasoline. He said it should never be kept in or near a home. Instead, it should be stored in a shed or in the rear of the property, away from any possible ignition sources.  He also said residents should use caution when burning candles.

Again, from Valerie.  This is very sad.  That was the house next to mine when I lived at 68 Brook Road. There were three owners of that house.  The Meyersons were the third owners.

 

Finally, the first half of an article my sister forwarded, also from the Long Island Herald by Andrew Hackmack and Brian Croce:

    Trees are down throughout Valley Stream, village officials reported Monday night, with Hurricane Sandy's full force being felt.  No major flooding has been reported in the community.

    With high winds, numerous trees and limbs have already fallen, many taking down power lines.  But more damage is expected with the storm expected to continue into Tuesday.

    As of 8 PM, more than 13,000 customers in Valley Stream were without power, according to LIPA, including about 6,300 alone in the village.  Trees that fell early Monday were cleared by the Highway Department so emergency vehicles could pass through the streets, but crews stopped work at about 2 PM when the wind became too dangerous for workers.

    Mill Brook resident Jim Lavery reported that numerous trees are down in his neighborhood, which is maintained by the Town of Hempstead.  He said many streets are blocked by the fallen trees.

    At daybreak Tuesday, village Highway Supervisor Tim Leahy will assess the weather conditions and determine if it safe for workers to begin clearing trees.

    Mayor Ed Fare, who described the streets as a maze on Monday night, said the village is at the mercy of the storm.  He said the ideal scenario would be for Sandy, now downgraded from a hurricane, to continue moving through faster than was initially expected so the cleanup can begin.  "We don't know when it's going to stop," he said.

    Fare’s morning began at 6:30 AM when he visited the Sanitation and then the Highway Department and told employees that the safety of the village’s manpower is of the utmost importance.  Members of the Sanitation Department went out this morning for their regularly scheduled pickups.  Fare added that he will likely work closest with the Highway Department today because it plays a crucial role in keeping the village safe during storms.

    Besides clearing the streets of downed trees, the Highway Department is also focused on clearing storm drains so there is minimal water buildup.  Fare said the village departments are being proactive in dealing with the storm rather than waiting for it to hit.  Leahy said that Monday is being treated like a normal day for him and his crew, but much like a snowstorm, additional workers could be called upon.

    The Valley Stream Pool also got some attention from Fare as he made sure the pumps were working properly to ensure they could handle the additional water.  Also, employees of the Parks Department have been driving around the village and picking up any fallen tree limbs, clearing storm drains, and securing loose items, like garbage cans.

 

The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com

 

The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com / SouthHS65

 

 

Rich