Please take the storm seriously and be ready.
Hurricane Sandy closed in on the United States Sunday as coastal communities along the East Coast scrambled to prepare for torrential rains, high winds, major flooding, power outages and heavy snow a week before the presidential election.
Forecasters said Sandy has the ingredients to transform into a “super storm” as it merges with an Arctic jet stream, which could make the storm unlike anything seen over the eastern United States in decades.
States of emergency were declared in eight states from North Carolina to Massachusetts, as well as Washington, D.C., as Sandy made its way north after killing 41 people in the Caribbean. Governors of states in Sandy’s path and New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered mandatory evacuations of vulnerable areas. New York Gov.
Sandy has already killed at least 58 people in the Caribbean, and states of emergency have now been declared in nine states and the District of Columbia.
Ways to stay informed
The National Weather Service (NWS) continuously broadcasts warning, watches, forecasts and non-weather related hazard information on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR). The average range of the 1000+ NWR transmitters is 40 miles, depending on topography. For the best performing NWR receivers, NWS suggests you look at devices certified to Public Alert™ standards.
These radios meet specific technical standards and come with many features
such as Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME), a battery backup, both
audio and visual alarms, selective programming for the types of hazards you
want to be warned for, and the ability to activate external alarm devices for
people with disabilities. Similar to a smoke detector, an NWR can wake you up
in the middle of the night to alert you of a dangerous situation.
What to know!
Determine safe evacuation routes inland.
Learn locations of official shelters.
Check emergency equipment, such as
flashlights, generators and battery-powered
equipment such as cell phones and your
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver.
Buy food that will keep and store drinking water.
Buy plywood or other material to protect your
home if you don’t already have it.
Trim trees and shrubbery so branches don’t
fly into your home.
Clear clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
Decide where to move your boat.
Review your insurance policy.
Find pet-friendly hotels on your evacuation route
Frequently listen to radio, TV or NOAA Weather
Radio All Hazards for official bulletins of the
storm’s progress.
Fuel and service family vehicles.
Inspect and secure mobile home tie downs.
Ensure you have extra cash on hand.
Prepare to cover all windows and doors with
shutters or other shielding materials.
Check batteries and stock up on canned food,
first aid supplies, drinking water and medications.
Bring in light-weight objects such as garbage
cans, garden tools, toys and lawn furniture.
When in a Warning Area…
Closely monitor radio, TV or NOAA Weather
Radio All Hazards for official bulletins.
Close storm shutters.
Follow instructions issued by local officials. Leave
immediately if ordered!
Stay with friends or relatives at a low-rise inland
hotel or at a designated public shelter outside the
flood zone.
DO NOT stay in a mobile or manufactured home.
Notify neighbors and a family member outside of
the warned area of your evacuation plans.
Take pets with you if possible, but remember,
most public shelters do not allow pets other than
those used by used by people with disabilities.
Identify pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation
route.
During the Storm
Plan to Leave if You…
Live in a mobile home. They are unsafe in high
winds no matter how well fastened to the ground.
Live on the coastline, an offshore island or near a
river or a flood plain.
Live in a high rise building.
For more information, visit the National Hurricane Center Website.
We are collecting donations in preparation for storm relief efforts. If you would like to make a donation to the relief effort, please bring supplies to the Red Cross offices or call or email us and we will personally collect your donation and distribute it to relief centers in the area.
Here’s what is needed:
– Bottled Water
– Non-perishable food items, such as beef jerky, granola bars, peanut butter, etc.
