By MIKE CAPUTO
"Within 48 hours' notice of a hurricane, usually it's beautiful out, and people say, 'I'm not going [to evacuate],'" said Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler. "That's the problem."
Mahler, joined by the village board and members of the village's rescue squad, hosted a hurricane preparedness meeting on Monday night at Village Hall that was attended by about 100 residents. The purpose was to prepare the community for a potential evacuation in the event of a serious hurricane.
The key message conveyed by all of the evening's speakers was that residents must be prepared to evacuate when alerted to do so, which would occur at least 48 hours before a hurricane would be predicted to make landfall in Atlantic Beach.
Neil Metz, chief of the Atlantic Beach Fire and Water Rescue Squad, explained that if residents waited too long after the initial evacuation alert, it might be impossible for them to leave the barrier island by car on the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Metz explained that federal regulations require all drawbridges to open and lock within about 12 hours of a storm to ensure that waterways are unimpeded.
The bridge regulations notwithstanding, Metz and fellow rescue squad representative David Wolf emphasized that residents should no longer be on the island 12 hours before a storm comes ashore. "You have to evacuate when you are advised to evacuate," said Wolf, adding that there would be no support or rescue personnel left on the island, including police. "There is no form of planning if you wait until a hurricane is about to hit," he said.
With the village's reverse 911 system, residents whose phone numbers are registered with the village would be alerted when an evacuation order is given. Members of the rescue squad and village officials would evacuate immediately to higher ground to secure equipment and supplies that are vital for returning village operations to normal after the storm.
The speakers urged residents to pack and head to an alternate destination as soon as they hear an evacuation alert. Such a destination could be a county shelter or the inland home of a family member or friend.
"We don't want to come back to find you," Wolf said.
The main evacuation route for Atlantic Beach residents is Route 878, the Nassau Expressway. In the event of an evacuation, the highway's southbound lanes would be converted into northbound lanes for residents from the Rockaways. They would be directed north and west, while Five Towns and Atlantic Beach residents would be directed toward the middle of Long Island - to a main county shelter at Nassau Community College, for example - via Peninsula Boulevard, Central Avenue and Broadway.
But to avoid the rush, residents must leave early, Metz stressed. "You belong out of here earlier, as opposed to later," he said. "Traffic will move if people cooperate."
Park Street and Ocean Boulevard would also be turned into one-way evacuation routes for traffic headed west toward the bridge.
The speakers emphasized the importance of preparing for a hurricane by putting together a disaster kit containing a few days' supplies, including nonperishable food, water and medications.
Officials said that Atlantic Beach has never attempted an evacuation of the magnitude that the village is now planning for. According to Metz, Nassau County's Office of Emergency Management tends to call for evacuations only if a hurricane is a Category 3 or stronger.
Wayne Lederer, a lifetime resident of Atlantic Beach, expressed concern about the absence of rescue and police personnel as well as a drawbridge locked open as a hurricane approaches. Although Lederer said he would make every effort to evacuate the island immediately after the alert, there are circumstances, he said, that may cause people to wait. "To have that situation," he said, "that's a scary thought."
For more information on the Atlantic Beach emergency plan, call Village Hall at (516) 371-4600. For countywide information, call the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management at (516) 573-0636.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 201.
