Smithtown Waiting for County Orders, Asks Locals to Prepare

As Hurricane Irene makes its way up the Atlantic coast and threatens to hit  on Sunday, Town of Smithtown officials say they are waiting for instructions from Suffolk County on how to handle the storm.

Town of Smithtown officials held a teleconference with Suffolk County's Emergency Services Thursday morning to talk about the impending storm.

"Until it hits, we are going to wait until Suffolk County tells us exactly what to do," said Public Safety Officer Joseph Paterson.

Paterson said while awaiting orders, Smithtown's Department of Public Safety is checking to make sure all of its vehicles are fueled up and ready to go.

Public Safety Director John Valentine and Supervisor Patrick Vecchio could not be reached for comment.

Smithtown's Department of Public Safety has as Hurricane Preparedness Guide on its website that provides residents with a basic guideline of questions to ask and what actions to take. It was created in April 2006, following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The guide instructs residents to have a list of emergency phone numbers, create an emergency communication plan in case phone lines are down, and teach all family members how to turn off water, gas and electricity at their main switches.

Smithtown's Hurricane Preparedness Guide also recommends families have a disaster supply kit made of easily portable container, like a duffle bag or secure storage box, filled with food and water.

In previous storms, Paterson said the Eugene A. Cannataro Senior Citizen Center on has been opened to serve as an emergency shelter.

On the county level, a map of emergency shelters provided by the county can be found on its website. According to the website, media will be informed which shelters are open at what times.

The county's Office of Emergency Services coordinates and operates the emergency operations center in Yaphank in the event of an emergency. The shelter serves as a central location for services such as fire, police, utilities, health services, and other vital programs. County Executive Steve Levy and others found themselves there on Tuesday after Suffolk felt the results of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake.

Levy's office did not immediately return a request for comment.

The OEM offers the following tips to prepare before a hurricane, these tips to follow during a hurricane, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency offers these pointers for recovering.