Lawrence to formulate emergency plan

The Lawrence village administration is working to create an emergency management plan that would be activated during natural disasters and other emergencies. Nassau County Red Cross CEO Frank Cassano and Lawrence Village Administrator David Smollett have scheduled a meeting with the county Office of Emergency Management staff on May 26 to begin devising a plan.

At a village board meeting last Saturday, Smollett said he would have a plan to present to the trustees as early as this summer. The Office of Emergency Management already has a protocol in place that villages can participate in, according to Smollett.

Village Trustee Michael Fragin said he has pushed for the creation of a plan for many months, including after the March nor'easter that left more than 100 tree branches strewn around the village. "All these things must be in place before the event happens," Fragin explained, "so that you [can] take out the plan and you implement it right away."

Fragin said he would like to see a mutual aid agreement formalized with nearby villages so that emergency personnel from other municipalities would be on hand to help with an emergency in Lawrence, and vice versa. In addition, mutual aid agreements have to be in place in advance to get federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement, according to Fragin.

He added that he is concerned about emergencies ranging from terrorism to extreme weather to water main breaks. The current evacuation route for the Five Towns goes north on Peninsula Boulevard on to Route 24 in Hempstead before making a left on Earl Ovington Boulevard and ending at the Nassau Community College American Red Cross Evacuation Center in East Garden City. The problem, Fragin said, is that the route is not publicized.

"If there's an evacuation route and nobody knows about it, is it really an evacuation route?" he asked.