Sayville Prepares for the Wrath of Hurricane Earl

As Hurricane Earl continues its trek north, Islip Town officials now expect the storm to have a stronger impact locally than was anticipated on Wednesday. Gusty winds and rain combined with rising tides are expected by Friday evening and officials are encouraging local residents to make the necessary precautions.

According to Rick Gimbl, Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Islip, Sayville residents should expect the worst part of the storm between 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Friday. Wind gusts during that time could reach 50 mph and winds will be sustained at 37 mph. According to Gimbl, the town's Emergency Operations Center will be up and running at 9 a.m. on Friday and continue throughout the storm.

Fire Island Ferry service into and out of Bay Shore will be suspended Friday afternoon. The last ferry out of Bay Shore will be 3 p.m. and the last ferry off of Fire Island will be at 3:30 p.m. Operations regarding ferry service out of and into Sayville will be decided later today.

Wet Pants Sailing Association (WPSA) suggests that all dry sailors secure their boats and trailers and remove all loose items. WPSA also advises to take the mast down and consider taking your boat home. "Do what you need to make your boat as safe and secure as possible," WPSA said in a statement.

West Sayville Fire Department (WSFD) Chief Kelly Barnes suggested that local residents to continue to monitor the storm and observe the precautions offered by both the Town of Islip and Suffolk County Emergency Management Offices particularly as they relate to evacuations, if that becomes necessary.

"This is especially true for those who live in low lying areas prone to flooding as much of the southern portion of the West Sayville-Oakdale Fire District lies in storm surge areas for even the weakest hurricanes," said Barnes. "Staying with relatives or friends in areas away from the coastline would be a good option and, if exercised, be completed before the arrival of gale force winds. Optionally, public emergency shelters would also be opened should storm severity warrant it."

Depending on the track of the storm and its intensity, hurricane force winds, flooding and downed wires and trees may cause the suspension of responses by local emergency providers until conditions subside and, at least, will impede their arrival at emergency scenes.

According to the WSFD, local response resources may also be overtaxed in the immediate aftermath resulting in prioritizing of calls and response efforts aimed at helping the most people with the smallest practical commitment of resources so as much as possible can be accomplished in the quickest amount of time.

"For these reasons residents that elect to ride out the storm in their homes cannot expect to receive the same level of emergency response during the height of the storm or, for that matter, immediately after the storm as they would during fair weather," said Barnes.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best has been the mantra of local officials as they made storm preparations and the WSFD said that residents should prepare for possible power outages during and after the storm, presuming it tracks over Long Island.

The WSFD offered the following tips to residents in regard to the storm.

• Sufficient non-perishable food, water, prescriptive medications and personal/sanitary supplies should be on hand (or taken with you) to sustain day-to-day life activities for three to five days.
• Caution should be exercised post storm with tree cutting, dewatering and other activities undertaken to restore one's property and every downed wire should be considered live and hazardous until determined otherwise by the utility responsible for it.
• Should power not be restored prior to dark, lighting must be accomplished through battery-powered flashlights. Candles and other open flame lamps pose too great a risk for unwanted fires.
• Even though smoke and carbon monoxide detectors may be tested periodically, it would be prudent to make certain they are functioning properly well before the storm arrives and closely monitored during post storm activities especially if the electric is out.
• Storm effects may also interrupt telephone service so alternate means, such as a cellular telephone, should be on hand to place a call for emergency assistance if necessary. However, cellular telephones rely on a battery with limited life if not recharged. Anticipate that power will be out for an extended period of time and utilize a cellular telephone sparingly, powering it off between uses unless an alternate means of charging the battery is available. This could include a second battery, a solar powered charging device or a vehicle charger plug.
• During extended power outages a portable radio offers the best means of staying in touch with what is being done to restore electric, telephone and other utilities as well as normal day-to-day living. It will also provide a source of entertainment since most other sources rely on electric to function. Spare batteries for that radio will ensure continued operation.

As of 2 p.m., Hurricane Earl was swirling 245 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and traveling north at 18 mph. The Category 4 storm had sustained winds of 140 mph.