Rockland County, NY - The normally bustling Congregation Knesses Yisroel in New Hempstead, a neighborhood just to the north of Monsey, was silent Monday morning as not a single person showed up for Dirshu and only three men arrived for Shachris. Like many other areas in Monsey, New Hempstead has been devastated by the freak storm that raged through the area on Shabbos, leaving residents with no electricity.
Street after street in the area is virtually impassable as roadways are completely blocked by fallen trees. Just blocks from where two Spring Valley residents were electrocuted during Hurrican Irene, fallen power lines litter the area, some marked with yellow caution tape by Orange and Rockland, the local utility provider, while others lay innocuously in the street.
Driving down just one small street, Barrie Drive, a quiet residential block inhabited almost entirely by frum residents, the evidence of the storm is everywhere: a swing set smashed to pieces, plastic sheeting covering what was once the rear windshield of a minivan until it was hit by a falling tree, a tree resting on the rooftop of a house, tree limbs everywhere and a large tree blocking one end of the roadway entirely.
While the cold temperatures have left residents shivering inside their own homes and donning layer after layer of clothing for warmth, resourceful homeowners have filled their refrigerators with pots of snow and buried perishables in snow banks in the hopes that they will stay fresh until power is restored.
According to outage maps provided by Orange and Rockland, residents can expect to have their power restored by midnight Friday night while some lucky homeowners may find their electricity functional by midnight Tuesday night. Orange and Rockland is distributing dry ice tonight in Rockland County at the Rockland Boulders Ballpark from 7-9 PM.
All school districts within Rockland County were closed for the day and there are already reports of schools that will be closed tomorrow as well due to the massive power outage.
Weddings have been taking place as scheduled in the area albeit perhaps not as originally anticipated. While generators were brought in for one area wedding last night, the hoped for power restoration never occurred and there was no food available at the wedding.
At another wedding tonight Misaskim brought in lighting so that the chupah could take place as planned, outdoors while hot tea was served by the kabalas ponim due to the cool temperatures inside the building. The inside of the hall was illuminated by candles and generators were brought in to provide some heating, a modicum of light and music.
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