A Thank You from Scarsdale10583

When I started Scarsdale 10583, the vision was to create a vibrant on-line community that would unite Scarsdale and provide a forum for open and honest dialogue. Last week’s storm tested the strength of this vision. And the site came out on top. It was clear that our community relied on this virtual “life line” as Hurricane Sandy hit Scarsdale hard and knocked out the heat, lights, cable and phones along with the Village communications system.

Residents had nowhere to turn but their iPads and smartphones and monthly site traffic surged to 86,000 page views and 37,000 site visits. Considering that Scarsdale only has 17,000 residents, and at least 5,000 are children, that’s a lot of site traffic.

Folks who stayed in town and those who fled turned to the site for news and information. Readers from far and wide used it to find out how their friends and relatives in Scarsdale were faring.

And site users did far more than read the grim facts – they shared information, emailed and commented on the crisis in town. Some used the site to call for help, while others made suggestions about how the situation could be improved and what could be done in the future to avoid another disaster.

A psychologist offered advice about how to weather storm stress and posted an article with wise words on coping. When Lenox Place residents alerted the site to the fact that they were trapped into their dead-end street by fallen trees and wires the office of New York State Assemblywomen Amy Paulin was able to get Con Edison to clear the wires and free the people.

We received many nice emails from users thanking Scarsdale10583 for staying live during the outage. Here is what you had to say:

“I want to thank you for the service you are providing during this crisis. Your frequent updates are invaluable.”

“You have no power, but (Scarsdale 10583) gets the news out! That's dedication! The updates are greatly appreciated.”

“You have done a fabulous job of keeping us all informed during the aftermath of the storm. Thanks and keep warm.”

But all was not rosy. A vocal group used the comments section to rant and rave at our local officials, the utilities, and the Scarsdale Non-Partisan system. While this made for some very lively discourse the tone was sometimes angry and accusatory. These controversial comments were uncomfortable for some but did provide a window into what’s on the minds of Scarsdale residents. Like it or not, the internet and social media are here to stay and we invite everyone to embrace it on Scarsdale10583.

Scarsdale 10583, remains committed to publishing up-to-date information and to providing an open forum for local readers. We thank everyone for your thoughtful comments and helpful suggestions on how to weather this storm. In the end, Hurricane Sandy may be remembered as the storm that brought us together as a community