New City Fire Department Chief Dennis Rodriquez said the department received 72 calls between 3 p.m. Monday and 11 .am. Tuesday. He said the department’s volunteers responded to transformer fires, downed wires and 20 houses damaged by trees knocked over by Hurricane Sandy’s powerful gusts.
Despite the extensive power outages caused by the storm, Rodriquez noted there was one positive about the situation.
“Not having the rain in this storm was a blessing,” he said.
Rodriguez said as of late Tuesday morning there were no storm-related injures in New City that he was aware of. But he asked residents to stay off the roads and adhere to the emergency order restricting travel to emergency services till 6 p.m.
“It’s dangerous out there,” he said. “Definitely stay off the roads. Everything is closed. There’s no power. Stay off the roads. Let the emergency responders do what they need to do to make it safe out there for everybody.”
