Snows ravage western Putnam while eastern side is spared
This vehicle was struck by a huge limb forcing the SUV off of Route 312. ***Send pictures of the snow storm and its aftermath to courier@pcnr.com***
Mother Nature was cruel to western Putnam County dumping as much as 14-inches of snow on the Putnam Valley-Philipstown area while sparing the eastern side of the county with anywhere from a 3-9 inch blast of winter weather.
The problem countywide was the weight of the frozen precipitation which downed trees and utility lines resulting in power outages for thousands of Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company and New York State Electric and Gas company customers.
Putnam County Executive Robert Bondi declared a state of emergency Friday closing all county offices. The emergency also mandated non-essential vehicles stay off the roads so police, fire and emergency services providers could respond to emergency calls.
Snow accumulations varied widely. Five to 6 inches fell in the Carmel-Mahopac area and 3-4 inches in Brewster-Southeast while sections of Garrison, Putnam Valley, Cold Spring, North Highlands and Lake Peekskill measured accumulations in excess of one foot.
Sheriff Donald Smith reported three of his deputies trapped in their vehicles when trees fell in front of the police cruisers while the men were responding to emergency calls in Putnam Valley and Philipstown and as they attempted to retreat, other trees fell behind them. The sheriff said he had “never seen anything like it.”
Route 84 was completely closed from 11 p.m. Thursday until just before noon Friday due to traffic back-ups, numerous crashes and a lack of state DOT trucks plowing and sanding the artery. Hundreds of motorists were forced to spend the night in their vehicle since traffic was at a complete standstill.
The North Highlands Fire Department’s new firehouse on Fishkill Road developed an emergency when the roof began to buckle under the heavy weight of the snow. Firefighters shoveled snow from the roof while others shored up the interior of the building to prevent a collapse.
An unusual scene was reported on Route 312 in Southeast when a large tree limb fell across the road striking a van. While the driver escaped unhurt, the limb ripped down a major electric feeder cable that actually began to burn the blacktop on the road resembling a volcano that forced police to close down the heavily traveled artery from Route 6 to I-84.
Each of Putnam’s fire departments and ambulance corps manned stations from Friday at 12-noon through Saturday at 8 a.m. at the request of the Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services.
The county’s 911 Dispatch Center fielded a variety of emergency calls including several for people falling on slick pavement and at least four EMT alarms for chest pains resulting from snow shoveling.
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