Long Island may have missed the brunt of Hurricane Floyd on Sept. 16 but it caused considerable damage to the trees in Manhasset and Plandome. One of the major trees toppled by the storm was on the property of Karen and Tim Cox on Nassau Avenue in Munsey Park. According to Mrs. Cox, the tree went down about 9 p.m. The family was not aware that they had lost the tree although homeowners on Park Avenue, the next street over, heard the crash. The tree, an oak that was probably more than 70 feet tall, crashed directly across Nassau Avenue, miraculously missing both cars that were parked in adjacent driveways and the Cox house. It did take down the utility pole across the street and residents were without electric power and telephone service for several days. Some arborists stated that the trees were especially vulnerable at this time because of the dry summer which weakened their root systems.

Munsey Park Mayor Harry Nicolaides had nothing but praise for both Nassau County and the Town of North Hempstead for the way they dealt with Hurricane Floyd. "I realize it's an election year," he said, laughing, "but they really were great. I came home early in the afternoon and received a telephone call from Gulotta's office asking if there was anything we needed. I drove around Munsey Park and called him back to tell him that a number of homes were without power. Tom Gulotta called LIPA and someone from LIPA called me. I'm not a political person so I didn't recognize the name. The next day when the LIPA crews came around I told them who had called me and they said, 'That's Richie Kessel. He's the chairman of LIPA.'"

Supervisor May Newburger also called all 30 villages in the town both before and after the storm arrived. Prior to the storm she asked the villages to make sure all roadside drains were working properly and were free and clear of debris. The town's Emergency Operation Center at 285 Denton Avenue in New Hyde Park was activated. From that location the town maintains contact with the Nassau County Emergency Management Office which, in turn, communicates with the fire service, police department, Red Cross and all other emergency management personnel and agencies. For future reference, the Emergency Operations Center's phone number is 739-2345.