September is National Preparedness Month, an observance we should not ignore. Hurricanes are Long Island’s greatest natural disaster threat, though we have been mostly spared the worst scenarios through the decades.
Hurricane Sandy shook us out of our complacency. It left 14 dead and nearly $7 billion in damages on the island. This year’s hurricane season has been quiet, but it’s by no means over—Sandy, remember, struck in late October.
With all that, do you know what to do in an emergency?
Governor Cuomo has formed the New York State Citizen Preparedness Corps to “give residents the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible.”
Training takes place all year and is led by experts. Classes will be held Sept. 29 in Rockville Centre and Oct. 6 in Manhasset. Visit www.dhses.ny.gov. Disasters will bring out the best and worst in people. We can’t always depend on the government and the utility company. In the absence of electricity, phone service, unpassable roads and more, knowledge and cooperation will go a long way to make conditions more tolerable.
