Effective 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Mayor Mark Epley has lifted the state of emergency in Southampton Village that was instated Sunday as Hurricane Sandy approached the East End.
However, Southampton Town is still in an official state of emergency, as town and utility crews continue to clean up after the storm and work to restore electricity.
Southampton Village Hall and Southampton Town Hall reopened Wednesday, as did Southampton Village Justice Court and Southampton Town Justice Court.
Southampton Village took quite a hit from Sandy. While the power stayed on for Main Street businesses and Southampton Hospital, many homes are still without electricity.
As of Wednesday at 12:19 a.m., the Long Island Power Authority reports that 848,366 customers are still without power, including thousands in Southampton Town.
However, power has been restored to Elm Street in time for Southampton Village's traditional trick-or-treating there. The road will be closed from 3 to 6 p.m. so families can safety trick-or-treat.
Sandy, which was reportedly a post-tropical cyclone by the time it hit Long Island, caused erosion and flooding on Southampton Village's oceanfront Meadow and Gin Lanes. The Old Boathouse, a landmark on Meadow Lane, was destroyed. Epley said that many basements were flooded, and that the morning after the storm there was two feet of water in the Coopers Beach parking lot. He also reported that village ponds overflowed, with the exception of Lake Agawam, which had been drained beforehand, although he said there was washover from the ocean into the lake.
Downed trees and powerlines continue to block many village streets.
Long Island Rail Road service was canceled Wednesday, for the third straight day, but Hampton Jitney is back in service.
Southampton and Tuckahoe schools closed for a third straight day, but Rogers Memorial Library reopened.
