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RYE, N.Y. - As we turn the page on 2011, the Daily Rye is looking back, in no particular order, at the top 10 stories of the past year. Be on the lookout as we recap and update the top stories in Rye in 2011 in the coming days.
We'd be remiss in our look back on 2011 not to mention the weather. Although Irene and the Halloween storm had different impacts on Rye, they are two storms we won't be forgetting for some time.
Tropical Storm Irene Strikes Rye
Tropical Storm Irene wreaked havoc on most of the Eastern seaboard in late August, knocking out power and causing thousands upon thousands of dollars in damage. It was so major that New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency before the storm even hit.
Trick or snow? The pre-Halloween snowstorm left many Westchester and Connecticut residents without power for days, and Rye was no different. Although Rye didn't catch the brunt of the storm, it still left 231 residents and the middle and high schools without power.
Of the storms, the Halloween snowstorm was certainly milder. With power outages hovering in the low hundreds, Rye was one of the least affected Westchester municipalities. The City reported down wires, but no roads were closed. The City Council recently authorized the purchase of an additional $40,000 of salt in preparation of future snow.
Irene, however, was another story. The City reported more than 100 homes and 22 businesses in need of at least moderate repairs and monetary damage estimates were in the range of $750,000. For most, Tropical Storm Irene served as a reminder of the flooding in 2007.
Mayor French, Assembly member George Latimer and US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have since begun the pursuit of new flood mitigation projects including the Bowman Avenue Sluice Gate, the Bowman Avenue Dam Upper Pond Expansion, the Anderson Hill Road Retention Pond and continued mitigation at Beaver Swamp Brook.
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