UPDATE: County to Order Mandatory Evacuation of Fire Island

That suggestion to begin leaving Fire Island Thursday afternoon will soon become an order.

A mandatory evacuation will be put into effect either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, officials said.

County Executive Steve Levy, Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko met at the county's emergency management building in Yaphank at 4 p.m. Thursday to discuss Fire Island. 

Currently, the evacuation is only voluntary and Fire Island ferries are running in both directions, but once it becomes mandatory, the ferries will only be taking people off of the island, officials said. 

Ferry service is expected to shut down completely mid-day Saturday. 

Officials estimate that 40,000 to 50,000 people are on Fire Island on a typical summer weekday, although they could not say how many people remain now with residents fleeing ahead of the storm. 

“Although at this point we have not issued a mandatory evacuation order, we feel that it is in the best interests of the residents of Fire Island to begin to leave now,” Nolan said earlier Thursday.