Update: Babylon Asking Residents in Town Marinas, Campgrounds to Leave

While shows no signs of slowing down as it approaches , and weather forecasts becoming increasingly dire in the past 24 hours, town officials met Thursday morning to update their preparation status and plan of action this weekend.

“We aren’t evacuating right now, but that’s really ’s call, and we’ll be happy to facilitate anything they need should that happen,” town spokesperson Tim Ruggeri said.

Currently, officials are nailing down the logistics of providing centers for those residents who might need to leave their homes in the event of the predicted flooding.

In the meantime, the town is asking anyone with boats in the town marinas such as at Cedar Beach, and anyone at the town beach campgrounds, to leave by noon on Saturday.

“It’s for their own safety,” Ruggeri said.

Residents who have an immediate life-threatening emergency should call 911.

However, if residents have a non-life-threatening emergency, but an urgent one such as a downed tree making a road impassable in the case they need to leave due to flooding, they can call the town’s Public Safety Department at 631-422-7600, he said. Ruggeri added that Public Safety will be out this weekend as will the town’s Department of Public Works.

“All of the equipment from the DPW to clear roads of trees, tree limbs and other debris has been serviced and is ready to go,” Ruggeri said. “We have chainsaws, goggles, ear protection ready to go for the DPW workers, too.”

The town’s street lighting department has tested back-up generators for all town facilities, including the animal shelter, and they’re ready to go, as well, he said.

In the case of non-life-threatening or non-urgent problems such as a downed tree limb with no wires down and no threat of fire or flood, residents can call the town’s Office of Performance Management at 631-957-7474 with details.

Residents will be able to leave a message with specifics, and messages left on that line will be monitored, Ruggeri said.

The town’s website will also have links to the Suffolk County government’s site and tips on what they could do to prepare themselves ahead of .

Other storm preparations underway include the following:

• Clearing storm drains and cleaning out garbage pails in all of the parks.
• Taking down flags, plus all of the decorative lighting and associated hanging plants in villages like North Babylon, Deer Park and Copiague.
• Securing items the spray parks at Venetian Shores and Tanner Beach.
• Removing all lifeguard stands at the Great South Bay and ocean beaches like Gilgo, Cedar and Overlook.
• Constructing berms in the underpasses that run underneath Ocean Parkway to help prevent ocean water rushing through them.

The town is also expecting beach erosion this weekend, though in the days prior to the hurricane, there’s not much that can be done to prevent it, Ruggeri said. It’s something officials are concerned with, and something that would be addressed following the storm, he said.