Previously, said Joanna Noonan, a county spokeswoman, private physicians often prescribed lengthy treatment and steered the business to friends.

Westchester County Airport, which had limited operations during the storm, was fully operational yesterday, though traffic was minimal, said Susan Tolchin, a county spokeswoman.

Across the river, in Bucks County, Pa., more than 1,600 people were evacuated, according to Ann Machesic, a county spokeswoman.

"We'll be in the path of some of the strongest winds and largest storm surges," said Cheryl J. Henry, a county spokeswoman.

"There is no expansion," said Ms. Bennorth, the county spokeswoman.

In Nassau County, the background checks cost the county $50 apiece - a total of almost $30,000 in 1992, said Lynn Kerschner, a county spokeswoman.

Ms. Voehl, the county spokeswoman, said that the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning four hours before La Plata was hit.

The site has received almost 68,000 visits since it went up on June 29, Susan Tolchin, a county spokeswoman, said.

A beleaguered-looking county spokeswoman, Elizabeth Hamm, said the hackers did not compromise any of the voting data at the Web site.

The average length of stay at the shelter is 14 days, according to a county spokeswoman.