Update: Mayor: FEMA Is Here at Bower School Till Friday

Update, Friday, 2 p.m.: FEMA will interview each resident, taking their complete information and contact numbers, and distribute necessary immediate help like food or help with arranging housing. The information that's collected today will be used to help later with financial needs of those who have registered and have gone through the registration/interview process. FEMA will not provide immediate loans for repairs to residents at this stage.

That's according to Ray Fais, the emergency coordinator for the Village of Lindenhurst, who clarified the process this afternoon in a phone to Patch.

FEMA arrived in Lindenhurst today to help residents ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, and will be here tomorrow.

That's according to Mayor Tom Brennan, who told Lindehurst Patch on Thursday afternoon the van is set up at Bower Elementary School on Monatuk Highway.

"They're here today and tomorrow, so residents should go and register," he said, who added residents should contact their insurance companies as soon as they can now, in addition to registering with FEMA.

The mayor also said Thursday saw the Village's continued the clean-up South of Montauk Highway that was started yesterday by the Village when the last of the record-high, eight-foot tidal/storm surge finally receded to allow contractors down to clear the streets.

"Right now we're cleaning up, and splitting our crews up into two 12-hour shifts," he said.

The Village has also been going since Wednesday clearing the streets North of Montauk of major blockages involving trees entangled in downed wires.

The Department of Public Works went as far as it could on Tuesday to clear streets of trees, limbs and branches, but it had to wait until Wednesday when a LIPA crew was finally deployed to the Village. LIPA's contractor Asplundh was also deployed to Lindenhurst.

There were 17 major street blockages involving large, downed trees and wires in the Village, and as of Thursday, all but one has been removed, according to the mayor.

The last one, on South Third Street, invloves a tree on a house, and the Village is working with the homeowner to make sure it can be removed sooner rather than later.

All of the streets have been opened up, as opposed to Tuesday night when Suffolk Police and the National Guiard stood watch at the top of every block in Lindenhurst from the Venetian Shores area West into Copiague.

With the streets opened up to South of Montauk, the mayor said, "We're trying to keep gawkers out...The Suffolk Police are doing an excellent job of helping us with what we need."

For the past couple of days the police were tasked with only letting residents into the devastated areas of Lindenhurst South of Montauk.

The mayor also indicated Village garbage collection is back to normal.

Latest Coverage:

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• Thursday's Post-Sandy Clean-Up Weather
• State Parks Closed across Long Island
• LIST: Several Supermarkets Open in Suffolk County Following Hurricane Sandy
• UPDATED: LIRR Back with Limited Service
• Suffolk County Says Water is Safe
• Lindenhurst Schools Remain Closed Thursday and Friday
• Officials: Many Homes South of Montauk May Be Uninhabitable
• Photos: Sandy Slams Lindenhurst
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