Massive tree blocks Huntington Station street as neighbors remain without power
The tree fell on East 21st Street between New York Avenue and Charles Place. Residents say they have been without power since Saturday as crews work to address downed wires in the area.
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A massive tree came down on a busy Huntington Station street during the height of the nor’easter, leaving neighbors without power and blocking driveways.
The tree fell on East 21st Street between New York Avenue and Charles Place. Residents say they have been without power since Saturday as crews work to address downed wires in the area.
One resident says he contacted the Town of Huntington and PSEG Long Island Saturday morning with concerns about the tree before it ultimately came down hours later.
Neighbors say they put up their own caution tape to warn drivers to avoid the street because of the tree and wires.
Residents say the lack of communication has been one of their biggest frustrations as they wait for answers about when the power will be restored and when the tree will be removed.
“We couldn’t even get an answer on when the power lines would be taken out and cut,” Huntington Station resident Daniel Marcovici said. “There were live wires in the street and it took them until the next day to let us know they cut the power.”
The Town of Huntington tells News 12 that although the tree that fell sat on private property, the emergency gave them the jurisdiction to intervene.
However, cleanup could not begin until PSEG Long Island crews first cleared live wires.
PSEG crews arrived around 12:30 p.m., leaving Huntington Station resident Brian Johnston hopeful that power would be restored soon.
"I think the crews have been out and about. They've been working through this, and that's awesome," Johnston said. "I'm sure that they're doing a great job."
PSEG says the storm caused more than 125,000 outages over a 72-hour period.
The utility says it has restored power to 96% of its customers, as of 5 p.m.
PSEG reported that more than 1,230 trees fell during the storm, prompting thousands of field workers to deploy as crews work to achieve 100% restoration.
