{UPDATE] Towns Slammed by Sandy

Fierce winds from Hurricane Sandy pounded Mount Kisco and New Castle on Monday night, leaving thousands without power.

As of 6:49 p.m. Tuesday, most of New Castle's customers remained without power, or 5,374 out of 6,574, according to Con Edison. The utility company's data, as of the same time, shows the number in Mount Kisco to be 2,282 out of 5,075. Earlier today, around 1:38 p.m., the New Castle total was 5,052 while the Mount Kisco number was 2,239.

(For the latest Con Edison outage numbers, and where they are, click here for the outage map).

New Castle Police sent out a dire online warning, noting that many roads are not safe.

"Motorists have become stranded in the labyrinth created by downed trees and power-lines," the New Castle police statement reads. "It is important that motorists listen to warnings not to use roadways. At this time the majority of New Castle roads are impassable and dangerous. Unnecessary travel is placing the motorists and emergency responders in danger and slowing restoration efforts." 

Unlike Tropical Storm Irene, which slammed the area 14 months ago, for now it does not appear that water was the big factor, but rather wind damage played the biggest factor.

In Mount Kisco, Shopper's Park, which got flooded during Irene by the adjacent brook, was largely dry and cars were still park in it. Leonard Park, which took on a lake appearance after Irene, did not see a repeat.

"It barely rained," said Mount Kisco Village Trustee Jean Farber, recounting her own anecdote.

Downtown Chappaqua, which is flood prone along South Greeley Avenue, did not see flooding like it did during Irene, according to Town Administrator Penny Paderewski.

"Rain was not our issue," she said.

New Castle Town Hall has been converted into an emergency

The high winds from Monday appear to have been the biggest factors of damage. New Castle police described virtually all roads in town as being closed (a list is here

Several roads in Mount Kisco were closed, too, with fallen trees also being an tree

The impact on merchants was uneven, as some kept power while others did not. Some businesses on South Moger Avenue, such as Cosi and BGR, saw a surge in customers, as both places were packed and customers came with laptops.

Other open businesses (either during day or evening on Tuesday) included Rocky's Millwood Deli - which kept its 2-decade open streak going - Lange's Deli in Chappaqua, A&P in Mount Kisco, Target in Mount Kisco, and Bellizzi. 

Greg Santone, owner of Rocky's and a first assistant chief for the Millwood Fire Department, described the day as being "very busy," referencing both of his capacities. He said Rocky's is being run on a generator.

The Mount Kisco Public Library, which has power, opened to the public on Tuesday for use as a WiFi spot. The Chappaqua Library, meanwhile, was closed for a second day.