Strong Winds Contribute To Facade Collapse At Senior Center In Rockland County
TOWN OF CLARKSTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Thursday's snowstorm brought strong winds to Rockland County, factoring into a facade collapse.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, the snow and winds had eased considerably by the evening time. Across the northern suburbs, cleanup efforts were starting in earnest.
At one senior complex in Nanuet, it was a cleanup and fix up job after a big gust of wind blew through early in the afternoon.
Something much heavier than snow fell at the Middletown Village senior apartments. A facade collapse sent bricks tumbling onto a flat roof and against a wall, punching a couple holes in Nora Scully's bedroom wall.
"I had just put away my Christmas things, I walked over to the stairs, and I heard this terrible explosion," she told Aiello. "I'm just thankful that I didn't get hurt or no one else got hurt."
Clarkstown's top elected official said winds gusting to 45 miles an hour were a factor. The town engineer said the damage can be repaired by the weekend.
"Unfortunately for one elderly residents here, she'll be out at one of our nicer hotels here in town, but she'll be out for a night or two," Town of Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said.
It was a difficult day in the northern suburbs. With whiteout conditions on the roads, as wind-whipped snow made for white-knuckle time behind the wheel.
The center of Chappaqua was a ghost town as businesses closed and residents stayed home.
On North Avenue in New Rochelle, only a few pedestrians dared to venture outside. Josh Greene was brave enough to run some early errands in his SUV.
"I'm going to ACME next and CVS for another couple -- just friends of my parents who are not going out in this weather," he said.
Now that residents have made it through the snow and wind, they face even colder temperatures than they've seen over the past few days, Aiello reported.