Greetings Pines residents from Henry – NOT Henri!
If you have been following the weather news, you know that Suffolk County is now under a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning. I have been receiving up-to-date information from Chief Joe Geiman of the Fire Department, Ken Stein from Sayville Ferry Service, and Suffolk County officials, and I will continue to provide updates as I receive them.
At this time Sayville ferry has not canceled any ferries; however, if you were planning on leaving/arriving the Pines on Sunday and are not flexible should service be cancelled, I strongly encourage you to consider traveling on Saturday in the event that the entire Sunday schedule is cancelled. I have also been advised that the Long Island Railroad may discontinue all service at approximately 8PM tomorrow evening. As always, please check the SFS and LIRR websites for the most current information on cancellations and service updates.
I know that we have a lot of new homeowners/renters/visitors that have not experienced a significant storm here on Fire Island so here are some things to do in preparation for the storm:
- Secure outside deck furniture/umbrellas, especially for those on the ocean and bay and don’t forget the furniture that’s on your roof deck.
- Anticipate that power outages may occur so be sure to have all your devices fully charged.
- Beware of down power lines – assume any downed wire is a live electric wire. Never touch a downed wire or anything that has come in contact with a wire (like a puddle). Report down power lines to PSEGLI at 1-800-490-0075 or 1-631-755-6900.
-
If your power is out, don’t assume your neighbor has reported that to PSEGLI. The more calls they get, the greater they understand the magnitude of the outage and hopefully the quicker the response. PSEGLI will have crews stationed on Fire Island ahead of the storm to address repairs. To report an outage: Text OUT to PSEGLI (773454), report online, or call, 1-800-490-0075.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Unopened refrigerators preserve food for several hours. Half-full freezers hold food safely up to 24 hours. Full freezers preserve food safely between 36 and 48 hours.
-
Report any Verizon outages to 1-800-Verizon or online.
- Make sure you have a full BBQ tank as that could be your cooking source if electricity is out for an extended period of time.
- Stay out of the ocean – this isn’t your chance to catch the 100 foot wave.
Stay safe,
Henry
