The Yates County area dodged the brunt of Superstorm Sandy last week, but utility workers and volunteers from the area have begun to respond to the New York City and Long Island areas that have sustained severe damage from the storm.
Two days after the storm hit, Penn Yan Municipal Utility workers Jef Bodine, Mike Mullins and Charlie Bush stopped in Watkins Glen to pick up Tom Ballard, who works for that village’s municipal utility crew. They then headed to Long Island, where they were sent to help the Long Island Power Authority in restoring service to the thousands of customers without power. They joined more than 7,000 linemen and tree trim crews from all over the country. According to the LIPA website, the company was on schedule to have power restored to 90 percent of all customers by Nov. 7.
Brent Bodine, director of public works for Penn Yan, and Jef’s brother, says the local crew is staying in South Hampton and working in the Peconic Bay area and Southhold Township. They may be away from the Finger Lakes, but they are still in wine country, on the island’s north fork.
Jef, a foreman, is in charge of a crew of 11 workers, while a foreman from Fairport supervises another crew at a different location.
LIPA requested the help through the Municipal Electric Utilities Association of New York, explains Brent.
The workers, who were joined by similar crews from Solvay, Fairport, Spencerport, Churchville and Greene, are expected to return to Penn Yan by Friday.
Other area residents who are employees of NYSEG have also traveled downstate, and emergency volunteers with Yates County area fire departments have been prepared to go if called upon by state emergency management officials, says Brian Winslow, director of emergency management.
Yates County Red Cross Director Carol Oswald says area disaster volunteers are preparing to travel to the region if needed.
Yates County is recruiting disaster volunteers and is accepting donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Fund to help start the recovery process.
In addition, Red Cross officials are preparing to respond to a Nor’easter that could strike the same area hit by Sandy Oct. 29 and 30.
The Nor’easter has the potential to cause the cancellation of additional blood drives in affected locations.
More than 370 Red Cross blood drives in 13 states and Washington, D.C. were canceled as a result of Sandy, resulting in a shortfall of more than 12,500 units of blood and platelets.
While Sandy continues to affect the number of people available to donate, hospital patients still need blood and platelets while recovery is underway.
The American Red Cross must collect enough blood each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, surgical candidates, children with blood disorders, and others.
Here are upcoming blood drives in Yates County:
• Soldiers and Sailors Hospital, Penn Yan – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 12.
• Branchport Fire Department – 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 15
• Keuka College – 1 to 6 p.m. Nov. 16
• United Methodist Church Rushville – 2 to 7 p.m. Nov. 27.
