Hurricane Earl Expected to Bring Heavy Rain Friday

With Hurricane Earl heading up the Atlantic coastline, Islip Town officials today began to put in place emergency response preparations in an effort to safely move residents living along the coastline and other flood prone areas out of harms way, should the need arise over the next 48 hours.

Currently a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, Earl is forecasted to have a glancing blow to the southern shores of Long Island and not expected to have a major impact. However, storms can quickly change course and town officials are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

Rick Gimbl, Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Islip, addressed representatives from local fire departments, hospitals and other emergency technicians at the town's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 401 Main Street in Islip, to be proactive in preparation for Hurricane Earl.

Heavy rain is expected in Sayville for Friday and early Saturday morning and wind gusts could reach up to 35 mph, but will not sustain at that strength.

"If things stay the same, we are looking at another nor'easter," said Gimbl.

Gimbl stressed that Fire Island has not been evacuated except on a voluntary basis, but he advises people to stay on the main land and use common sense. "Erosion is expected on Fire Island and major flooding can occur," said Gimbl.

The Fire Island Ferries are preparing for a possible evacuation to remain proactive and said service would be suspended if winds are sustained at 40 mph during the storm, which is not being predicted.

"This looks like it is going to be a training, but the day will come when a hurricane hits and we will be prepared," said Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan.

Commissioners and heads of departments will be stationed in the EOC, which has advanced equipment to enhance communication among town departments in the event of an emergency. The EOC is equipped with the latest storm tracking technology and also brings together department heads from various town agencies such as Parks and Recreations, Department of Environmental Conservation, Public Safety as well as Harbor Police and the Fire Marshall.

"We are all working together in this room and we react quickly," said Gimbl. "If a tree is blocking the road, we know about it immediately and we have crews out to take care of it. We are proactive here and not reactive. We will tell everyone the truth and give everyone enough time to know what's happening. No one needs to panic."

Edward Schneyer, Suffolk County's Director of Emergency Preparedness, said on the county level they have successfully tested phone lines and all but one have been repaired. Also, fuel tanks have been filled in emergency vehicles and generators have been checked. This has been done on the town level as well.

Staff will be set up in both the town and county offices of emergency management over the next 72-hours, which is considered the critical time before a hurricane.

"We have to be prepared for the worst and always scale down and that is what we are doing," said Gimbl. "If something happens, we are ready."

As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Earl was swirling about 680 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and traveling northwest at approximately 17 mph.