By Mary Malloy
Speaking during his PowerPoint presentation, "Being Prepared: A Look
Back at Katrina," held at the high school on May 24, Baroni
explaining to the audience of the importance of being ready when and if
a major hurricane hits our shores. Using last season's hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused on the Gulf Coast as an example, he stressed how vulnerable we are to these types of occurrences.
Baroni, Deputy Mayor Richard Meagher and Village Clerk/Treasurer and
Deputy Emergency Manager Dennis McCabe recently returned from a
National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, FL, followed by a trip to
hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. "I think that
seeing the aftermath of a storm like Katrina, we can better prepare
ourselves," said Baroni. "Katrina was a storm of national significance."
The official hurricane season lasts from June until September, with
August being a busy time for the eastern seaboard. 2005 was a record
season for hurricanes, with 28 named storms, beating the previous
record of 21, in 1933. Seven of these were landfall hurricanes,
with four of them being category five. According to Baroni's
presentation, Katrina caused 1,858 deaths and caused the largest displaced population (470,000, 93% of which cannot go back.)
On their tour of Bay St. Louis, MS, to whom the village of East Rockaway had donated an aerial ladder truck, Baroni said that at eight months after the storm, they are still a long way from recovery. "Among those things destroyed or non-operational," he said, "were their water and gas systems, electrical grid, telephone systems, including cell phones, their sanitary system, their radio antennae and their backup systems for these necessities."
The Gulf Coast has five people per square mile, and the city of Bay St Louis had 556 people per square mile. East Rockaway's population has 10,000 in the same-size area. The Nassau County South Shore surge zone has 10,937 people per square mile. "So you see, planning ahead is essential for us," said Baroni. "Some things we cannot avoid, and others, we can." He said that of utmost importance is your safety, and that of your family, and to check now - and not when a storm hits - your flood insurance, medical prescriptions, your employer's plan, and any special needs that you make require in case of an emergency.
A question and answer period followed Baroni's PowerPoint presentation. The residents had many questions for the Emergency Manager:
Q: Can we avoid the problems that they [the Katrina victims] had?
A: It doesn't work that way. With a major storm, we can lose the water
system, gas, electric - the whole grid can go - our phones in our homes
and our cell phones, and radio antennae. Our sewer plant can be inundated.
In Mississippi, for example, their backup power generator was damaged.
Some things you can't help. For example, if your service panel for your
house is in the basement, as it is in most homes, you'll lose the same
thing.
Q: Where should we go when we're told to evacuate?
A: The best thing to do is have a plan in place. That is up to you and
your families. There will be public shelters, but you really don't want
to do that if you can help it. Arrange with family or friends who live
toward the middle of Long Island, or on the North Shore. You don't have
to go upstate, or to Connecticut to be safe. At Sunrise Highway, for
example, you will be at 20-foot elevation - halfway through Malverne,
it's 30 feet.
Q: What if we don't have anyone we know in the area?
A: If you need to go to a shelter, Nassau Community College would be
the primary Red Cross shelter. All of the schools in East Rockaway are in the flood zone, but they could be used at other times, other emergencies when there is no flooding.
Q: How much notice will we get from the village to evacuate?
A: We'll try to give you 24 hours. The five-day forecasts from the
weather bureau are very accurate. What they cannot tell us, though, is
the speed and intensity of a hurricane when it hits landfall.
Q: Are there any shelters for animals?
A: Yes, and it is also be wise also make a "pet plan". Contact the SPCA, Town of Hempstead Shelter or North Shore Animal League America to see what your options are and what plan best suits you and your pet.
Q: What about the senior citizens?
A: The county is reaching out to the seniors in the communities. We ask
the seniors to contact any agencies they use (Meals on Wheels or Senior
Outreach) and register with the county so their location can be identified and recorded. Many seniors do not want to evacuate.
Q: Give us some perspective -- is this likely to occur this year?
A: We are expecting the "100-year storm" - a major event. The last one
was in 1938. We can learn from Katrina to be prepared, whenever that
storm comes our way. It only takes one.
Comments about this story? Mmalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000, ext. 202
