Fire Island plays waiting game as Earl churns up coast

 Fire Island's usual pre-Labor Day questions - Hot dogs or hamburgers? Bay beach or ocean beach? - turned serious Wednesday.

At grocery stores and docks from Kismet to Saltaire, longtime residents who followed the northward path of Hurricane Earl were starting to ask: Stay or go?

"You have to take these storm warnings seriously, but hardly anyone does here," said Al Blair, 63, of Bay Shore, who drove along boardwalks in a golf cart, knocking on houses he maintains for summer residents. "I call the owners to say I want to put outdoor furniture away and close windows, and they tell me, 'Hey, we're kind of busy having lunch now.' "

Fire Island prides itself on its laid-back attitude, and that was evident even as red flags went up along ocean beaches Wednesday, indicating high waves and strong rip currents. More beachgoers seemed to know about yesterday's results in singles competitions of the U.S. Open than the approaching storm.

"Nobody's hit the panic button yet - but just wait and see how people react if the hurricane heads this way," said Robert Kerry, 39, a landscaper.

Fire Island Ferries said it has no plans to add boats or change schedules and will wait to see if there's an evacuation order.

At the Fair Harbor Fire Department, Scott Cherveny, the chief, had his son Ben, 16, a volunteer in training, clean chainsaws to ensure they were ready to cut fallen branches. "Right now the only thing we can do is make sure everything's in order," he said. "And wait."