CROTON, N.Y. One advantage Croton residents have before the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Irene is the time to plan ahead. Late Julys microburst was an unexpected storm that brought down trees and wires through a small stretch of Croton and Ossining. But this time, residents have time to think ahead and prepare for the worst.
This is not a surprise, this is not unexpected, said acting First Lieutenant of the Croton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Mark Dickey. Theres no reason for people to panic. He added, With the recent microburst that came in very suddenly, there was no real preparation possible for that. It just happened. So everyones already ready for something like this.
Residents should prepare themselves for the storm well in advance of the storm. Absolutely anyone who does not need to go out should try to remain home, said Lieutenant Russel Harper of the Croton Police Department. Only travel if its absolutely necessary. This means if your family intends on buying storm supplies, do it ahead of time. A wealth of information on medical supplies and prescription storm preparedness can be found here.
You could come into a flooding situation, a tree-coming-down situation, you could come into another car coming at your situation, said Harper. As a cautionary tale, one could recount how cars were trapped for hours between trees and downed power lines on Route 129 during Julys microburst.
Lastly, while emergency personnel are there to help, residents should use discretion when calling emergency numbers. We were inundated with calls, said Harper about the microburst. It tied up all of our switchboard.
For non-emergency situations, residents can call the Croton Police Department at (914) 271-5177. For emergency calls, use 9-1-1, and bear in mind that calling from a landline will directly connect residents with Croton Police. Calling from a cell phone will connect them to another headquarters, and they will have to be routed to Croton Police.
Residents should call the police to report downed trees and power lines. Flooded basements, if they pose an immediate threat to the house, for example if the water is reaching the level of a circuit board, should be reported as well. Croton Police Department urges residents to use discretion when calling, and reminds them that if the phone call can wait until the worst of the storm is over, it would be best.
ConEdison can be reached at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633), and storm outages can be checked on their website as well. To sign up for the Town of Cortlandts emergency notification system, click here.
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