Lights go out with a bang

MATAMORAS — With a loud bang and a blinding red flash that illuminated the nighttime sky, a falling tree branch snapped several high voltage electric lines in Matamoras on Saturday. Darkness fell over the town and neighboring Westfall and Milford. “I was on my porch having a cigarette just a few yards away when it happened … I ran inside and called 911,” said an elderly woman, who said she experienced the same thing behind her house on at least one other occasion. High winds brought down lines in two different locations within a span of ten minutes at around 6:30 p.m., one along 5th Street and one along Schoolhouse Road. Nearly 3,000 Orange and Rockland customers went without power for the next three and one-half hours. Some difficulties were experienced on the road because of nonfunctioning traffic lights, especially around Kmart Plaza. Orange and Rockland spokesman Michael Donovan reported that some 35,000 customers experienced power outages lasting up to 30 hours because of the weekend’s windstorms. Donovan stated this was the reason why the company has been stepping up its tree trimming efforts.