To the Editor:

We want to express our thanks publicly to all of the professionals and community members who responded to our neighborhood emergency during a severe thunderstorm on June 13–14. We had a huge 100+ year old tree come down in the middle of the night. Luckily, no one was hurt, and no property was damaged, but the tree blocked the street and took down power lines.

The Potsdam Fire Department responded within minutes of the 911 call to secure the scene. Shortly thereafter, Asplundh (tree service) arrived to clear the debris from the power lines and the street and helped take down the rest of the dangerous part of the tree that remained standing. National Grid was on the scene quickly to restring the power lines, restore power, and replace a damaged pole. 

The Village of Potsdam Department of Public Works arrived first thing in the morning, quickly removed several dump truck loads of debris, and cleaned up the remaining mess. Finally, Spectrum quickly came to restore cable and Internet services that had been knocked out in the storm.

Much of this work took place in the wee hours of the morning in the midst of a storm and while these professionals dealt simultaneously with numerous emergencies.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who helped to resolve a difficult situation for us and our neighbors. We are so grateful to live in this wonderful community with such supportive neighbors and friends.

Jondavid DeLong and Laura Ettinger
Potsdam