Safety First with Sen. John Flanagan

The wind and rain that is currently inconveniencing Long Island residents as a result of off shore Hurricane Danielle could have been much worse.

Sen. John J. Flanagan's annual series of Emergency Preparedness Seminars, which made its stop at Lake Ronkonkoma Fire Department this week, was designed to ready Long Islanders for such a disaster. The meeting was free of charge to all community members.

"Everyone wants to make sure their family is taken of," said Flanagan, who has represented the state's 2^nd District since 2002. "We have some really talented professionals who do this kind of stuff every day, so God forbid something does happen we're all going to be better off. Having the information and using it to your advantage is very helpful, which is why we put this together."

The meeting included presentations from representatives of the New York State Emergency Management Office, the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross and the Long Island Power Authority. More than a dozen pamphlets and brochures were available for attendees, in addition to a DVD designed to prepare citizens for disasters such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires and severe thunderstorms.

The last hurricane to make landfall on Long Island was Gloria back in 1985, and ever since our state and local governments have been preparing us for "the big one." Hurricanes are such a fear for Long Islanders due to the large population, which would make a quick evacuation a complete impossibility. The goal with Tuesday's meeting was to spread awareness as to what exactly to do in the event of a catastrophic weather event that could leave residents without electricity for an extended point of time.

"All emergencies begin and end locally," said Ted Fisch, Director of the New York State Emergency Management Office. "We try to focus on post-disaster relief so we know what to do when we have a major event. We appreciate that the Senator lets us come here every year and spread awareness."

The various speakers at the meeting all stressed the importance of developing a family communications and action plan. They also suggested that people should prepare a disaster supply kit so they have some of the things they would need in case of an emergency. Attendees were provided with a variety of other important safety tips; including numbers to dial and websites to visit for the best evacuation routes to follow and the locations of nearest shelters with food, water and basic medical supplies.

Flanagan urges everyone who would like additional information on emergency preparedness to visit his Website or call his office at 631-361-2154.