“Please, please cooperate,” Pleaded Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. “If you don’t care about your own well being, now is the time to care about our emergency first responders… please do not be part of the emergency.” Mangano implored from Bayville Firehouse where he stood among firefighters as local news cameras rolled. “If you are in an evacuation zone, please leave…There is every reason to believe that the forecast is correct.”
A news reporter on CBS local channel 2 interviewed people who were evacuating in Lindenhurst. “So you are obeying-,” the reporter said before the camera cut out due to technical difficulties.
Many Long Islanders living in evacuation zones have elected to ignore evacuation orders and are planning on riding out Hurricane Sandy in their homes.
In Suffolk County yesterday, gas prices jumped as Long Islanders scrambled to the pump to fill up gas in anticipation of the coming storm. Water has been flying off the shelf in supermarkets across the island as people consume last-minute items in anticipation of not being able to shop in the coming days after the storm.
Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency last Friday. “As we prepare for the possibility of Hurricane Sandy hitting New York State, I am activating all levels of state government to prepare for any potential impacts,” Governor Cuomo said. “We are working with federal and local partners to follow storm developments and organize a coordinated response plan. With unpredictable weather conditions, we are taking the greatest precautions – especially after our experience from last year’s storms. I urge New Yorkers to plan for hurricane conditions and follow news reports to stay updated on the storm’s progress.”
President Obama has authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security to “provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures… to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas.”
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s office announced that there are three Red Cross shelters open at Hampton Bays High School, Sachem East High School and Brentwood High School. Suffolk County has also partnered with the SPCA to open two pet-friendly shelters at the Brentwood Recreational Center and at the Suffolk Community College’s Riverhead campus.
Bellone’s announcement warned, “Do not be complacent; this storm has many of the characteristics of a hurricane and Nor’easter.”
The National Guard has been mobilized to aid New Yorkers in need. Most offices affiliated with the state are closed. However, many departments pertaining to emergency services remain open for business to aid New Yorkers in the “worst storm of the century.”
Local newscasters have been flipping to reports of reporters wading in water up to their ankles in streets near canals and docks. “It’s already worse than Irene,” many have said.
Wind gusts are expected to peak at 8 P.M. at 46 Mph.
