Winds from Hurricane Sandy were stronger coming off Lake Ontario than in other parts of central New York. WRVO’s Ryan Delaney spent the morning along the lake in Cayuga County and reports folks are dealing with only minor damage.
Bob and Allyson Malo were out checking their neighbor’s cottages along Little Sodus Bay in Fair Haven.
Allyson, who spent the night in their home on the opposite side of the road, says the winds were strong for most of the night.
"It was like sitting in the middle of a railroad yard with the trains constantly roaring around ya. Winds were wicked."
She says you could’ve surfed on the bay inside the harbor yesterday afternoon.
As for damage:
"Just minor." says Bob. "A little piece of siding off here, a roof shingle over there."
The Mal0's say they were ‘really, really lucky’ considering how close to the lake they live.
While most people saw a storm like Sandy as a threat to life and property, one Lake-Ontario-based coast guard saw it as an opportunity. The Innovation Trail’s Kate O’Connell reports.
As everyone else stayed indoors and hunkered down awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, the Rochester coast guard geared up to start training Monday night.
Office- in-charge Patrick Bouchard says Sandy wasn’t as bad as they were expecting, but any severe weather front provides a good opportunity for the team.
“Really the first storm that’s come through this fall and this season actually, so that was a great opportunity for us to get underway, make sure that we could hone our skills and be able to respond if the need ever arose that a boater was in distress.”
Bouchard says waves reached 12.1 feet at their highest point during the storm - a little higher than a basketball hoop, but much smaller than the 17 to 20 foot waves predicted.
He says the lake has calmed significantly now with waves of about 5 feet, and lighter winds, but anyone taking their boat out should still be cautious and keep an eye out for debris from fallen trees and wind gusts.
