Piermont Businesses Slowly Begin To Reopen Following Sandy
PIERMONT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - The hard-hit waterfront district in Piermont is slowly getting back to business, two weeks after superstorm Sandy inundated many homes and businesses with flood waters and left even more without power.
Many businesses in the Rockland County town were badly damaged in the flooding from Sandy.
WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reports
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The still visible water mark is waist-high in David Gearhart's auto repair shop.
"We had customers coming and unfortunately I sent them to another shop that I know," Gearhart told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane.
As for when he will be able to reopen, Gearhart said he is doing all he can to speed the process.
"I'm hoping to be at least by first week of December," he said.
An architect whose old workspace was destroyed by Sandy has opened up shop in what may or may not be a temporary location.
"Monday was our first day operational. I might be here for several months, I might be here forever, I'm not really sure," the architect told Murnane. "People really lost track with me for a solid two weeks. I mean no phone, no nothing."
Other businesses are back up and running with 'we are open' signs out front.
Sandy and Laura DeGabriel's travel agency has reopened, but they said the foot traffic they rely on for walk-ins is down.
"The restaurant's closed, we're missing the traffic," they told Murnane.
While things are slowly getting back to normal, Piermont still feels relatively shut down, Sandy DeGabriel told Murnane.
