Hero of the Hurricane: Al Porpora of Heathcote Gulf

Almost two weeks without power, compounded by a snowstorm and a gas panic left residents stressed to the max. Not sure when their heat would come on or if they would have enough gas to leave town, many were unsure where to turn. The word quickly spread that there was someone who could help: Al Popora of the Heathcote Gulf Station at 1 Weaver Street, Scarsdale. Al, his brother and the staff of the station rose to the occasion and were a reassuring presence for many cold, disheartened residents.

What did Al do?

The station was able to secure daily gasoline deliveries at a time of shortages elsewhere around town. Since they had power and ample gas, they filled up cars, but more importantly filled gas cans to fuel home generators. As the generators were keeping families warm, Al reserved enough gas each day so that people could always fill their gas cans, even when the automobile line was shut. Throughout the power outage he opened at 6 am and didn’t close until 8 pm at night to make sure that customers would have enough gas for their generators.

He also helped to calm nerves and assure gas to those who needed it most. He allowed the Scarsdale taxi drivers to come to the front of the line, figuring that those who ran out of gas could rely on the taxis to take them where they needed to go.

And when the gas line got too long, Popora stood at the end of the line, checked people’s tanks and asked those who already had more than half a tank to return the following day to permit others with empty tanks to fill up. When the gas line extended all the way down Weaver Street past Dunkin Donuts, Al stood at the end of the line to maintain order and clear the way for traffic on this busy thoroughfare.

For Al, the crisis this week brought to mind another gas shortage in 1973 when he was just 16 years-old. His Dad owned the station at that time – and Al was called on to help keep the calm as people waited for gas. At that time, he had a sign made for the back of his truck that said “Last Customer.” This week, 39 years later, he pulled out that same sign to use again.

According to one of his customers, Al has “infinite patience, can “handle 100 people at the same time” and makes everyone believe they are “special customers.”

Today Al was quick to deflect the credit to the community. He thanked all the first responders including the police, firefighters and public works employees for their hard work. He said the police did a terrific job of keeping him safe as he stood out in the street to manage the line-up on Weaver Street.

And most of all he thanked his customers, saying, “if it wasn’t for such a great community this would not have gone so smoothly.”

Say thank you to Al and send in the names of more Heroes of the Hurricane in the comments section below.