Greenporters, who have their own electric department, lost power for only moments, except for customers between Seventh and Ninth streets, where a major feeder went down, according to Jim Fogarty at the village's light department.

Wind pulled down a banner that department members had strung across Front Street to advertise this weekend's Greenport Fire Department carnival. The downed banner came in contact with electrical wires, knocking some of them out, Mr. Fogarty said.

The village's aging sewer system was put to the test, resulting in some minor flooding in low-lying areas of the village, utilities director Jack Naylor said. But no merchants along Front Street reported serious flooding.

A Cross Sound Ferry vessel bound for Orient Point was forced to wait the storm out at sea. Many of the boat's passengers, who later were driving east on Main Road, had to be detoured north to Route 48 due to the downed tree at Main Road and Laurel Avenue.

"It went from flat-out calm to where the wind was blowing 70 miles per hour," said Pete Harris, the town's highway superintendent. "The trees can't take a hit like that."

A wind speed monitor at S.T. Preston and Son in Greenport measured winds over 45 mph, said the store's vice president, Andrew Rowsom.

"But I'll bet you it was more than that," he said. Particularly in Southold hamlet, which took the brunt of the storm, officials said.

Whatever the top wind speed was, the gale-force winds were strong enough to rip Rob Buchanan's sailboat from its moorings in Pipe's Cove near the end of Sixth Street in Greenport.

"I had so many limbs down in my own yard that it didn't occur to me to check my boat," said Mr. Buchanan, 50, who has a home on Fifth Street in Greenport. "When I went down to see the boat Saturday afternoon, it was gone. I had a real sick feeling."

Mr. Buchanan called Shelter Island Police, who told him that a Shelter Island family had spotted his boat Friday night coasting -- with its mooring ball in tow -- in Greenport Harbor toward Gardiners Bay. The family tracked it down in their own boat and docked it behind their neighbor's home, the police told Mr. Buchanan.

"It was really kind of miraculous that the thing was completely unscathed," said Mr. Buchanan, who went sailing on his boat on Sunday.

Other town residents weren't so lucky.

Jim Willse said he and his wife arrived at their summer home in Southold on Monday afternoon to find their garage "wearing a tree."

"We didn't know until we pulled into the driveway that a storm had hit the area," said Mr. Willse, whose garage roof was "dented" by the felled oak tree.

The wind, rain and hail also took no pity on Southold Town Councilman Al Krupski's pumpkin farm in Southold.

"We had a little rain at my home (in East Cutchogue) and not too much wind," he said. "I was in Southold the next day, and the scene was completely different. Our first planting of the pumpkins were up and growing. They got beat up pretty bad.

"It was weird how localized it was," added Mr. Krupski, who spent much of Monday cutting up the trees that had fallen on his farm.

The expense of the storm will take a toll on a town already reeling with a budget crisis and trying to freeze overtime costs.

Town highway workers stayed out until midnight Friday, working with LIPA employees to clear main streets of fallen trees and poles, Mr. Harris said. And they were back at work until mid-afternoon Saturday, he said.

Southold Police Capt. Martin Flatley said officers worked until 5 a.m. Saturday detouring drivers away from trees and live electrical wires on the street.

"This was a crazy storm," Ms. Giuliano said. "I'd never seen anything like it. I knew a storm was coming, but it picked up so fast. I was literally turning the barbecue on when the wind picked up."

Within minutes, a utility pole had snapped and was lying in a puddle in front of her house, she said.

And what of the dinner she was set to cook on the barbecue for herself and her boyfriend?

"We ended up cooking the chicken in the oven that night and eating in the candlelight," she said.

Julie Lane contributed to this report

bharmon@timesreview.com

Add your comments below:

Your name:

Your email:

Subject:


Comments:



Enter text seen above: