Politics & Government

Port Jeff Officials Meet to Hammer out Hurricane Response Plan

On Saturday afternoon, officials met at Village Hall to design an action plan to protect residents and respond to Hurricane Irene.

The Port Jefferson village board, and representatives from most village emergency agencies including Village Code, and the Port Jefferson Volunteer Ambulance Company met in on Saturday afternoon to discuss an emergency management plan for the village in response to Hurricane Irene.

After listening in to a conference call where Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko updated village governments as to the town’s plans, Port Jefferson village officials went to work designing their own plans including the formation of a Emergency Operations Center and deciding how to cordon off the downtown area.

During the conference call, Supervisor Lesko said that he was particularly concerned with Port Jefferson because of the expectation of a significant storm surge that will cause flooding of the roadways and homes along the Long Island Sound.

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lesko also warned people living on the north shore of the island that their communities are expected to see waves in excess of 10 feet and that along with the storm surge of 4 to 8 feet and an it will make many people vulnerable to extreme flooding.

Because of the expectation of severe erosion, Lesko also warned that people living in “houses on the cliffs of the North Shore should get out of their homes." He stressed that the lower lying areas exposed to erosion will be in danger but people living on higher hills might be all right during the storm.

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayor Margot Garant told Lesko that businesses in downtown Port Jefferson were warned about the voluntary evacuation on Friday.

A command center will be set up by the village at the Port Jefferson Volunteer Ambulance Company headquarters where representatives from every major agency in the village will be on-hand to help field calls to the appropriate places during the hurricane.

Most agencies expect to have 24 hour coverage going throughout the storm including code enforcement and the highway department to help clear trees and assist residents in non-emergency situations. The village board also made arrangements to have someone at the command center.

Approximately 20 streets will be closed to traffic beginning at 9 p.m. on Saturday to restrict access to downtown Port Jefferson, where the storm surge might cause major flooding.

Access to Main Street from Myrtle Avenue continuing north to the end at the docks will be closed off.

Specifically, East and West Broadway will be closed at California Avenue east past Main Street to High Street. Access to Old Post Road will also be closed off at Crystal Brook Hollow Road. Barnum Avenue will also be closed off. Also expect Route 112 to be closed off to traffic at Prospect Street, South Street, Spring Street, Tuthill Street, William Street and Myrtle Avenue.

Some of the roads will be closed off with barriers but the Main roads will be manned by code enforcement officers at checkpoints. It wasn’t clear yet which roads were going to be manned and which would be closed off by a barrier only.

Village trustee Lee Rosner said that businesses in downtown Port Jefferson should be encouraged to close at 8 p.m.

This will allow them time to leave the area and prepare for what essentially is a closing of downtown Port Jefferson at 9 p.m. ahead of expected high winds and rain. Officials express concern that with high tide at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday the storm surge could cause extensive flooding starting around that time.

One official at the meeting said, “when the storm surge hits it’s going to be fast.”

A Port Jefferson fire department representative said that its trucks will be dispersed to designated locations around the village to better respond to emergencies.

In case of an emergency village residents are encouraged to call 911 first. Starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, for all non-emergency calls residents from the villages of Port Jefferson and Belle Terre can call (631) 403-6111 and they will be routed to the appropriate department in the village.


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