Long Island officials, volunteers drill for hurricane

With Long Island overdue for a major hurricane, Nassau and Suffolk County officials and local Red Cross chapters drilled Saturday on how to shelter and feed local residents in a severe weather event.

The last major hurricane, the Category 1 Hurricane Gloria, was in 1985, while the biggest to hit the Island in modern times, a Category 3, was in 1938.

The drills included practicing ways to take away potential weapons from people seeking shelter.

One volunteer, holding a closed pocketknife, approached the sign-in desk at Nassau Community College's emergency shelter, where his knife was overlooked. But at the second desk, he was stopped and the knife taken away.

The volunteer was one of about 240 assisting in the simulations yesterday morning.

"We want to create an environment that's safe and comfortable," said Craig Cooper, public affairs coordinator of the Suffolk County Red Cross, who rotated volunteers through different functions throughout the day.

Volunteers from the Red Cross, Community Emergency Response Team, Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, and the New York Guard delivered mental health counseling, translation help and health care and dealt with pets and potential weapons.

Some of the facilities also provided child care and advanced medical care.

Regarding emergency response, "we've had a lot of improvement in the last four years," said James Callahan, commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management in Nassau County. "So we've reached that point where it's good to test the whole thing at once to see where we have failures."

Twenty facilities in Nassau County took part in the drill, including Nassau Community College, the largest shelter on Long Island, which can hold 4,600 residents.

In Suffolk, Sachem East High School, which can accommodate 1,000 people overnight, also participated in the drill.

In a hurricane as big as the one that hit in 1938, the Red Cross would open 45 shelters throughout Nassau and Suffolk, which could accommodate 60,000 people.

"We're as prepared as we can be," said Ken Norman, the project manager for emergency preparedness at Nassau Community College and a team unit leader at the simulation.

"There's no script for a disaster, so you have to be ready to deal with the unexpected."

How to prepare your family

CREATE A HOUSE PLAN: Fix loose siding or gutters, and plan now what to do to bring in lawn furniture or other items.

ARRANGE A SECONDARY RESIDENCE: With more than 290,000 people in evacuation zones, have an alternative place to go in times of severe weather -- a hotel or a friend or relative's home inland.

MAKE A FAMILY CONTACT PLAN: Pick a person to call both on and off the Island in case you become separated from your family members.

PREPARE A KIT: Gather nonperishable food, bottles of water, battery-operated flashlights and radios, copies of your IDs, extra keys and clothing in case you need to remain in your home or evacuate.

CHECK IN: List yourself as "Safe and Well" on the Red Cross website (americanredcross.org) if you are separated from your family.

FIND EMERGENCY INFORMATION: Check liprepares.com for contact numbers in your area or call 877-PREP-4-LI (877-773-7454).