Mary Gallagher:  

Well, the South Shore will never be the same after Hurricane Sandy (2 weeks ago). Mario's Hi Hook (recently reopened as Tres Palm, is gone, as is the Beach House Adult Home. John Anthony's (currently know as Venetian Yacht Club) was damaged by both the water and then a fire. Quite a few village families are homeless at this time...some will be able to rebuild, some will not. I've met a couple of people who experienced the Hurricane of 1938 and they say this was much worse. FEMA people tell us that Sandy was worse than Katrina, which seems incredible to most residents I've talked to. Fortunately, we suffered a much lower number of deaths and injuries. Everywhere you look there are piles of debris, but I have to say the clean-up is well underway. The Village has done a wonderful job there, cleaning up the debris once it's curbside and even helping people clean up on occasion. After teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) for 22+ years, I retired in 2008. . I was a Library Trustee for 25 years and a Village Trustee for 4 years (during which time Mayor Don Conroy died and Ralph Scordino became mayor!). I'm currently working more on historical Babylon and its preservation. I've become something of an expert on the Argyle Hotel, which was located on the west side of the lake fro...Expand for more