Elmont, Franklin Square residents prepare for Hurricane Irene

The National Weather Service projected at 2 p.m. yesterday that Hurricane Irene, a category two storm, would approach the coast of North Carolina last night, and pass near or over the North Carolina Coast on today.

So far, Irene has claimed four lives in North Carolina, where it hit at 7:30 a.m. today, whipping sustained winds of 85 mph. More than 550,000 people in North Carolina and Virginia have been left without power since Irene made landfall.

Residents in Elmont and Franklin Square are currently taking precautions in preparation for Hurricane Irene, taping up and boarding windows, and buying last-minute supplies and groceries. Vita and Jerry Burdi, of Franklin Square, worked today to secure their backyard area, which includes a hot tub and garden arbor, to protect it from the storm. The Burdis secured a large board to the top of their hot tub, and tied ropes to heavy iron chairs and hung them on their garden arbor to help prevent damage caused by the storm's expected heavy winds.

Irene is expected to hit New York late tonight, but should still be passing through on Sunday evening. Rain and heavy winds are expected to occur for several hours.

Nassau County has urged residents to take precautions, including knowing where the nearest hurricane shelter is and what the evacuation routes are, as well as stocking up on food, water, batteries, flashlights, and keeping vehicles gassed up. On Aug. 26, County Executive Ed Mangano announced the evacuation of much of the South Shore.

Mangano and representatives from the county's Office of Emergency Management spoke with Ross Dickman, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service on Thursday. "After reviewing the storm surge and speed of Hurricane Irene," Mangano said, "he believes that Nassau County may experience a direct impact from the hurricane. As such, I have directed the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management to immediately implement its Coastal Storm Plan."

Mangano has announced the cancellation of all Nassau County Parks events and the closing of all Nassau County Parks, effective 10 p.m. on Aug. 26, until Aug. 29.

Mangano also announced on Aug. 26, along with the Nassau County Department of Health, emergency information on drinking water safety during Irene. Mangano said that residents should store as much drinking water as possible as a precautionary measure in case of service interruption due to the storm, but a minimum of three gallons of water per person, for consumption should be stored in clean containers. New York State certified bottled water is also acceptable.