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Table of Contents:
HURRICANE/STORM ACTION
CHECKLIST
Here is a list of the many things to consider be fore, during and after a
hurricane. Some of the safety rules will make things easier for you during a
hurricane. All are important and could help save your life and the lives of
others.
Stay or Leave?
When a hurricane threatens your area, you will have to make the decision
whether you should evacuate or whether you can ride out the storm in safety at
home.
If local authorities recommend evacuation, you should leave! Their advice is
based on knowledge of the strength of the storm and its potential for death and
destruction.
In general:
- If you live on the coastline or offshore islands, plan to leave.
- If you live in a mobile home, plan to leave.
- If you live near a river or in a flood plain, plan to leave.
- If you live on high ground, away from coastal beaches, consider staying.
In any case, the ultimate decision to stay or leave will be yours. Study the
following list and carefully consider the factors involved especially the
items pertaining to storm surge.
- At Beginning of Hurricane Season (June) Make Plans for Action
- Learn the storm surge history and elevation of your area
- Learn safe routes inland
- Learn location of official shelters
- Determine where to move your boat in an emergency
- Trim back dead wood from trees
- Check for loose rain gutters and down spouts
- If shutters do not protect windows stock boards to cover glass.
When a Hurricane Watch is Issued for Your Area
- Check often for official bulletins on radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio
- Fuel car
- Check mobile home tie-downs
- Moor small craft or move to safe shelter
- Stock up on canned provisions
- Check supplies of special medicines and drugs
- Check batteries for radio and flashlights
- Secure lawn furniture and other loose material outdoors
- Tape, board, or shutter windows to prevent shattering
- Wedge sliding glass doors to prevent their lifting from their tracks
When a Hurricane Warning is Issued for Your Are
- Stayed turned to radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio for official bulletins
- Stay home if sturdy and on high ground Board up garage and porch doors
- Move valuables to upper floors
- Bring in pets
- Fill containers (bathtub) with several days supply of drinking water
- Turn up refrigerator to maximum cold and don't open unless necessary
- Use phone only for emergencies
- Stay indoors on the downwind side of house away from windows
- Beware of the eye of the hurricane
- Leave mobile homes
- Leave areas which might be affected by storm tide or stream flooding
- Leave early in daylight if possible
- Shut off water and electricity at main stations
- Take small valuables and papers but travel light
- Leave food and water for pets (shelters will not take them)
- Lock up house
- Drive carefully to nearest designated shelter using recommended evacuation
routes.
After the All-Clear is Given
- Drive carefully; watch for dangling electrical wires, undermined roads,
flooded low spots
- Don't sight-see
- Report broken or damaged water, sewer, and electrical lines
- Use caution re-entering home
- Check for gas leaks
- Check food and water for spoilage
Source: NOAA
Hurricane and Natural Disaster
Information
from the Town of Islip
Table of Contents:
ENTER THE SEASON PREPARED
ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS
GETTING READY FOR THE HURRICANE
DURING THE HURRICANE
IF AN EVACUATION IS ORDERED
AFTER THE HURRICANE HAS PASSED
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
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A MESSAGE FROM
SUPERVISOR PETE McGOWAN
The priceless vistas and recreational pleasures of life on the Great
South Bay are numerous, but when bad weather strikes, the South Shore is
perilously susceptible to danger.
Whether it is for a winter storm, flood,
nor'easter, or hurricane, the Town of Islip wants its residents to
be prepared. This pamphlet is meant to assist you in your emergency
preparedness and is also meant to apprise you of the Town of Islip's
emergency management procedures. I urge you to take a moment to read it
to familiarize yourself with these procedures. Please keep the pamphlet
in an accessible location in the event you may need it as a vital
reference during an emergency.
The potential threats of the South Shore's storms are as serious a
mailer as the safety of its residents. Your preparedness can be the key
to the protection of your property and loved ones.
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ENTER THE SEASON PREPARED
Since you live in a coastal area, plan a flood-free evacuation route. Islip's
hurricane preparedness plan includes designated safe areas, areas to be
evacuated during a hurricane emergency, and safe evacuation routes to shelter.
Get information on emergency planning in your area by contacting the Town of
Islip Public Safety Office at 224-5300.
Hurricanes can cause extensive flooding, not just along the coastline, but
far inland as well. Flood insurance is valuable financial
protection. You should be aware that your homeowner's policy probably does not
cover damage from flooding. Check into the availability of flood insurance
through the National Flood Insurance Program by contacting your local insurance
agent or broker.
Prior to the hurricane season, check to see that you have an
adequate supply of non-perishable food, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher,
battery-powered radio, flashlights, and extra batteries and candles.
ADVISORIES AND
WARNINGS
Thanks to modern detection and tracking devices, the National Weather Service
can usually provide 12 to 24 hours of advance warning. Advisories are issued by
the National Weather Service when hurricanes approach land.
A HURRICANE WATCH WATCH is issued whenever a
hurricane becomes a threat to coastal areas. Everyone in the area covered by the
"watch" should listen for further advisories and be prepared to act promptly if
a hurricane warning is issued.
A HURRICANE WARNING Is issued when hurricane winds of 74
miles an hour or higher, or a combination of dangerously high water and very
rough seas, are expected in a specific coastal area within 24 hours.
Precautionary actions should begin immediately.
LEAVE EARLY from low-lying beach areas that
may be swept by high tides or storm waves.
BE AWARE that some areas may
flood long before the arrival of the storm. Your escape may be further
complicated by the fact that the density of population of some areas makes it
mathematically impossible for the few roads or ferries to accommodate everyone
within one day. Don't get caught by the hurricane in your car on an open coastal
road.
· If local government advises evacuation of
your area, DO SO IMMEDIATELY. Keep your car radio on to listen for further
instructions, such as the location of emergency shelters.
· If you live inland away from the beaches
and low-lying coastal areas, your home is well constructed, and local
authorities have not called for evacuation in your area, stay home and make
emergency preparations.
· Be alert for tornado watches and warnings
as tornadoes are often spawned by hurricanes. Should your area receive a tornado
warning, seek inside shelter immediately, preferably below ground level.
GETTING READY FOR THE
HURRICANE
1. Check battery-powered equipment. Your
battery-operated radio could be your only source of information, and flashlights
will be needed if utility services are interrupted.
2. Keep your car fueled in the event an evacuation is ordered. Also
be aware that service stations may be inoperable after the storm strikes.
3. Store drinking water in clean bathtubs, jugs, bottles, and
cooking utensils, as your water supply may be contaminated or damaged by the
storm.
4. Board up windows or protect them with storm shutters or tape.
Danger to small windows is mainly from wind-driven debris. Larger windows may be
broken by wind pressure. Use of tape is an effective way of preventing flying
glass.
5. Secure all outdoor objects. Garbage cans, garden tools, toys,
signs, porch furniture, and a number of other harmless items become deadly
missiles in hurricane winds.
6. Moor your boat securely before the storm arrives or move it
to a designated safe area.
DURING THE HURRICANE
Remain indoors during the hurricane. Blowing debris can injure and kill. Travel
is extremely dangerous. Be especially wary of the "eye" of the hurricane. If the
storm center passes directly overhead, there will be a lull in the wind lasting
anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour or more. At the other side of the
"eye," the winds will increase rapidly to hurricane force and will come from the
opposite direction.
IF AN
EVACUATION IS ORDERED
1. Listen to your local radio station (see: Emergency
Information) for evacuation notification.
2. Call the Town of Islip Public
Safety / Emergency Management Office (224-5300) for the nearest evacuation
center location and, if necessary, the location of the evacuation center staffed
with medical personnel.
3. Fire Island residents should prepare for
departure from nearby ferry terminals. Ferries will be provided to the mainland
where bus transportation will take residents to evacuation shelters.
4. Evacuees are reminded that the following items are
not per mitted in an emergency shelter: alcohol, non-prescription controlled
substances, weapons, and animals. Provisions will be made at the Town of Islip
Animal Shelter for pets.
AFTER THE HURRICANE HAS PASSED
Keep tuned to your local radio or television station for advice and
instructions from local government about emergency medical, food, housing, and
other forms of assistance.
Stay out of disaster areas which could be dangerous and where your presence will
interfere with essential rescue and recovery work.
Do not drive unless you must. Debris-filled streets are dangerous, and roads
should be left clear for emergency vehicles. Along the coast, soil may be washed
from beneath the pavement, which could collapse under the weight of a car.
Avoid loose or dangling wires and report them immediately to LILCO, the police,
or the fire department.
Report broken sewer mains to the Southwest Sewer District, and report
contaminated water mains to the water authority which serves your area.
Hurricanes moving inland can cause severe flooding. Stay away from river banks
and streams until all potential flooding is past.
If power has been off, check refrigerated food for spoilage. Be suspicious of
water that may have been contaminated.
When operating a portable stand-by generator, make sure it is not directly
connected to your home wiring. Improperly connected generators can present
severe hazards to work crews and to your generator.
If you are in a public shelter, remain there until informed by those in charge
that it is safe to leave.
Make your plans and preparations for a hurricane emergency the subject of a
family discussion. Share your family's plans with friends and relatives.
Hurricane preparedness is a team effort for everyone in the neighborhood and
community.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Keep tuned to B-103 (103.1 FM), WALK (97.5 FM, 1370 AM), WBAB (102.3FM,
1240AM), or WBU (106.1 FM) for the latest weather advisories as well as special
instructions from local government.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Public Safety / Emergency Management ..... 224-5300
Street Flooding and Road Repairs .................224-5600
Local Police, Fire, Ambulance ..........................911 or "0"
Brentwood Water District
Emergency Service ..........................................231-6880
Suffolk County Water Authority
Emergency Service ..........................................685-0683
Southwest Sewer District ................................587-5000
American Red Cross Disaster Relief ..............924-8911
LILCO .......................................................(800) 490-0075
Reproduced as a public service from Town of Islip: Hurricane & Natural Disaster
Information, 1998. Please call the Town of Islip Public Safety Department at
(516) 224-5300 for the most recent and updated materials and recommendations.
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Revised:
02/25/02
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