Sound Shore

While New York City got so much of the attention, it was the northern suburbs that sustained the lion’s share of the local damage from Irene. With the benefit of hindsight, do you think better planning and development might have made for less damage?

Tell us what you think:

Habitat for Humanity of Westchester is helping families clean up from Irene, pumping cellars, removing spoiled furniture, gutting wet sheet rock and the like. The organization could use your help. Executive Director Jim Killoran said Habitat would welcome volunteers, materials and financial support. Materials can be dropped off at Habitat’s headquarters at 524 Main St. in New Rochelle. If you’d like to get involved, or if you need help, email Habitat at hurricane@habitatwc.org.

MAMARONECK — The village has issued the following guidelines for flooded property owners whose utilities have been “red tagged” by Con Ed.

(1) A licensed electrician or plumber is needed to inspect the affected equipment before electricity or natural gas can be restored. After the affected equipment has been inspected and is determined to be safe to operate, you will need to have one of these licensed trades persons (or both if both gas and electric) file this certification letter.

(2) Once the proper documentation is filed with the Building Department (an) inspection by the Building Department can be scheduled, if required by Con Edison.

(3) Once the building department has determined that everything is in order, Con Edison will then be able to restore your electric and/or gas services.

(4) The building department can be reached at 914-777-7731 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

(5) Please be aware that any restorations of any buildings after the floods will require building permits. Please file appropriately.

(6) Proper proofs of liability and workers compensation insurance must be provided to the building department, as required by law.

LARCHMONT — Local poets and writers will read their works published in literary magazine The Westchester Review at 4 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Garden Room of Larchmont Temple,  24 Willow Ave.

This free public event will kick off a 2011-12 “Sunday Speakers” sponsored by The Friends of the Larchmont Public Library.

Writers scheduled to appear include: Angela Taylor, Joe Landau, Blythe Hamer, Luann Jacobs and Tracy Williamson.

Complimentary wine and snacks we be served at 3:30 p.m.

Visit the library site and click on “The Friends” tab for a complete list of 2011-12 speaker series.

Eric Dierssen mops up water inside Tri City Auto Parts on Mamaroneck Ave. in Mamaroneck this morning. The auto parts store was one of the businesses along Mamaroneck Ave. that sustained water damage from tropical storm Irene yesterday. Photo by Seth Harrison

Check back at Lohud.com throughout the day for continual updates on the clean up after yesterday’s storm.

Here’s a community by community update on emergency preparations and key numbers:

Harrison: Report flooding, downed trees, abandoned cars and other problems to the Harrison Police’s Command Center, 967-5111 x:0. All highway crews will be on duty to remove downed trees and two emergency shelters will be set up at the Harrison Avenue firehouse and at the new senior center next to the Mintzer Center. Both will open from late Saturday and remain open as long as necessary.

Larchmont: State of emergency in effect. Parking regulations in all village parking lots will be suspended as of 8 a.m. Saturday for the duration of the storm. Residents in low-lying areas should move their vehicles to these lots, particularly lot #3 at the railroad station. Non-emergency numbers are 834-1000 for police, 834-0016 for fire and 834-6965 for public works.

Mamaroneck town: The town supervisor declared a state of emergency in the unincorporated area of the town effective 2 p.m. Friday. All residents should prepare to leave their homes promptly if an evacuation order is issued. Residents who live along the Brook should start making arrangements now for possible evacuation. A mandatory evacuation order has already been issued for residents in the unincorporated area on Hommocks Road, Pryer Manor Road, Pheasant Run, Wildwood Circle and on Premium Point. These residents must leave no later than 5 p.m. Saturday. Following this order is imperative as emergency assistance and evacuation assistance will be virtually impossible during the height of the storm. The Mamaroneck High School Gymnasium (Boston Post Road Side) is opening at 5 p.m. Saturday as an evacuation shelter. If you require assistance getting to the shelter please call Police Headquarters at (914) 381 6100. The town’s Emergency Operations Center will open at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Weaver Street Firehouse. Periodic updates will be issued on the Town’s website www.townofmamaroneck.org and information will be broadcast on the Emergency Notification Telephone System, including neighborhood-specific instructions.

Mamaroneck village: State of emergency in effect. The village has issued a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas: Taylors Lane, Colonial Court, Barrymore Lane, Shore Acres, Flagler Drive, Rushmore Ave, Greacen Pt, Skibo, Nine Acres, Orienta, The Crescent, Seven Oaks, Seahaven, Nautilus, Constable, Bay Head, Pirates Cove, adjacent to the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Rivers or near where flooding occurred in 2007 — along Mamaroneck Avenue and Fenimore Road.
Officials advise residents that in the event of high velocity sustained winds, with downed trees and power lines, certain sections of the village may not be passable for first responders. Officials urge residents to secure all items in yards or other open areas that may be subject to strong winds. A temporary shelter will be set up at the Mamaroneck High School gymnasium located on Post Road. More information: www.village.mamaroneck.ny.us

New Rochelle: A state of emergency has been declared, and residents in flood-prone and low-lying areas are being urged to evacuate, preferably by 6 p.m. Albert Leonard Middle School, 25 Gerada Lane, has been opened as an emergency shelter by the Red Cross. Emergency services will respond only to calls involving threats to life and safety, as conditions allow, particularly during the height of the storm. Vehicles may be moved off street to meter spaces in City-owned municipal parking lots. Meter parking enforcement has been suspended citywide for the entire weekend.
The city website www.newrochelleny.com will have the latest News Flash and Emergency Alerts which will also be posted on the city’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Bulletins will be broadcast on NRTV Cable Channel 75 and FIOS Channel 28. Connect-CTY Emergency calls will be made as necessary. Residents can subscribe to receive emergency alerts directly through the city’s website at www.newrochelleny.com. Non-emergency numbers for the police are 654-2300 and 654-2212 for fire.
A complete list of action steps for hurricane preparedness can be found on the City of New Rochelle website www.newrochelleny.com/prepare, www.westchestergov.com and www.ready.gov.

Pelham: The town will open the Daronco House as an emergency shelter Saturday from 3 p.m. through Sunday. Pelham village has declared a state of emergency; residents should call the police at 738-2000 for any potential street closures and Pelham Manor’s non-emergency police number is 738-1000.

Port Chester: The village is posting updates on its website www.portchesterny.com. The police department’s non-emergency number is 939-1000 and the fire department’s number is 939-1661.

Rye: Instructions for flooding are posted on the town’s website www.ryeny.gov. For emergencies call 911 and for non-emergencies 967-1234. Residents of flood-prone areas were being encouraged to evacuate their homes for safety by Saturday evening. Due to the possibility of flooding during the overnight hours, the following parking lots are closing, effective 9 p.m. Saturday: Highland Hall Lot; Car Park #1 (Haviland Lane between Elm Place and Locust Avenue); City Hall Lot.

Rye Brook: AJP Community Center located at 32 Garibaldi Place is open as a drop-in center for rest and relief from the storm. This site is equiped with a generator in the case of power failure. Pump out requests need to be made through the Police Department at 937-1020. Threat to structure or utilities are a priority; water must be above 12 inches due to the size of the department’s pumps.

Eddy Coello was only in court for a few minutes today, but his appearance was an emotional one for the family of his wife, who he is accused of killing.

Tina Adovasio’s former mother-in-law wept when Coello was brought out, handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit from the Department of Corrections. Another female family member yelled  “Coward!” as he was escorted out of the courtroom.

Coello, an ex-New York City police officer, showed no emotion at the outburst, or any part of his brief  appearance in Bronx County courthouse, where Coello’s lawyer and a prosecutor and  updated the judge on their progress of exchanging evidence and information, known in legal terms as discovery.

Judge Miriam Best set his next court appearance for Oct. 26.Coello, 38, is charged with second-degree murder. He is accused of killing Adovasio in the Bronx and dumping her badly-beaten body in the woods near the Mohansic Golf Course, off the Taconic State Parkway in Yorktown.

Adovasio, who lived in the Bronx, was divorcing Coello, who her family said had repeatedly abused her. Coello left the NYPD in 2000 while being investigated for domestic violence with another woman.Prosecutors have said physical evidence, surveillance video and Coello’s own words would show that he strangled his wife late March 11 or early March 12, carried away her body and then dumped it in Yorktown.

Adovasio, 40, worked as a maternity nurse at Sound Shore Medical Center. She had four children, including a 5-year-old daughter with Coello. The girl is living with Adovasio’s parents in Dutchess County. Her other children, ages 11, 15 and 16, are living with their father.

Top photo:  Coello at a previous court appearance, with his lawyer, Renee Hill. Bottom: Adovasio, family photo.

President Barack Obama warned Friday that Hurricane Irene may be an “extremely dangerous and costly storm” and that all indications point to it being a “historic hurricane.”

Are you preparing? Let us know:

We’ll be bringing you updates into the weekend on Hurricane Irene’s approach here on our local blogs but also over on our main site, http://LoHud.com.

For our Twitter friends, follow our Hurricane Irene coverage and tweets @LoHud or by searching for—and using—the hashtag #LoHudIrene.

Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoHud.

And look for live chats over the weekend on the main LoHud page if the storm delivers its promised punch. We hope readers will chime in with what they are seeing and experiencing in their neighborhoods, and we’ll do our best to answer your questions and connect you with the resources you need.