By Stephen J. Bronner
“You have to be prepared to the best of your ability to deal with a hurricane,” Greg Caronia, deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), said at a Hurricane Preparedness Meeting organized by Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside). “First responders are not going to help someone not prudent enough to evacuate.”
According to officials like Caronia, Long Island is overdue for a Category 3 storm, whose wind speeds surpass 50 mph. The damage from such a hurricane would be extensive, officials said, since many residents’ homes are close to water. Speakers at the June 29 presentation, at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, advised the audience to formulate plans for evacuation, prepare emergency bags, find out their elevation above sea level and purchase flood insurance.
“We are geographically in a very tricky spot, just a few miles off the Atlantic Ocean,” Toback said. “We’re right in the path of a hurricane, but we have a very good plan in place in case of a natural disaster.”
In an emergency, residents of both the north and south shores are advised to evacuate to the center of the Island, near Uniondale, or to the mainland, Caronia explained.
OEM has a three-part plan for evacuation, with time checkpoints at 60, 48 and 36 hours before a storm hits. People are expected to vacate their homes 36 hours before a hurricane, according to officials. “Many people will not have a home to go back to,” Caronia said. “Some people are not going to listen to us when we tell them to evacuate.” He added that this is a potential lethal decision, since hurricanes can cause roads to be blocked and knock out power, as well as phone and cell service.
Police and firefighters will be expected to work around the clock for two or three days before relief arrives, Caronia said. He reminded the audience that people can live for 21 days without food, but only three days without water, so it’s always good to stock up.
“If we were to get a hurricane, we’d be wrecked, destroyed,” said meeting attendee Ruth Samuelson of Meadowmere, a neighborhood next to Jamaica Bay. “All the people who came to the meeting gave us good, solid information on what to do. Long Island has dodged the bullet for the longest time. We think we’re secure, but we’re really not. We have to be aware of what’s going on around us.”
Nancy Lynch of Pet Safe Coalition informed the audience that pets are not allowed in public shelters, so people need to make alternate plans if they have nowhere else to go in a hurricane. “It’s on us to make a plan for our pets and keep them safe,” she said. Lynch said that pet owners should prepare a kit that includes photos of their pets, medicines and food to facilitate evacuation. Crate training pets also helps, she added.
Richard Einhorn of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security said that those who don't have flood insurance should look into purchasing a plan as soon as possible. New flood maps are going into effect on Sept. 11, with 27,000 homes in Nassau County being added. “It doesn’t take a hurricane to cause a flood,” Einhorn said. “If you have a mortgage, the bank will require you to get flood insurance.” He said that if you wait to get insurance until after the new maps go into effect, you’ll have to pay much higher rates. Einhorn said that people should visit www.floodsmart.gov to see if they’re affected by the new flood maps and to find insurance agents.
Members of the American Red Cross and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) also promoted making an emergency kit, containing medical supplies and water, which can lead to a safer evacuation. Volunteering with the Red Cross can help better prepare someone to deal with a hurricane, members said, and CERT has an eight-day training program on how to prepare yourself and to care for others in an emergency.
“Once hurricanes reach into this part of the earth, they reach us quickly,” Caronia said. “You’re going to have to be able to fend on your own.”
Comments about this story? SBronner@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
