First Response | Volunteer firefighters from Barnard closed Route 12 near Masterson Road after a tree fell on electric lines nearby. Responding to the power surges it caused, neighbor Matt Stevens of Barnard was able to notify his wife Nicole Conte of the emergency by texting her via fiber-optic internet before cutting his electrical breaker, although their landline phone had already been knocked out. Conte then proceeded to call in the emergency from afar. Many area fire departments were deployed to respond after severe storms pummeled the region on May 4. (Herald / Seth Butler)