Ossining-Croton Prepare for Hurricane Sandy

Ossining and Croton officials are going over their storm preparation plans today, making sure that they are ready for the worst as Hurricane Sandy approaches. The storm, which is chugging towards us, is already causing closures on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

The Village of Croton-on-Hudson will be closing Permit Section H at its train station Monday morning. The section will remain closed through Tuesday. Officials are worried that the section will flood like it did during Tropical Storm Irene. Officials say Parking Section F may be susceptible to flooding as well. The two sections are east of Veterans Plaza. The Village is urging non-permit daily users to avoid parking at the station on Monday and Tuesday.

"The Village subscribes to a weather notification service that has daily and even hourly forecasts," said Croton Mayor Leo Wiegman. "Manager Zambrano frequently passes on these weather updates to the Board before and during storm events to keep us apprised. Our village prepares well in advance to deploy equipment and arrange staff coverage around the clock."

The Ossining Union Free School District is canceling its College Fair on Monday because of the impending storm. The College Fair was set to run from 7:45 a.m. until 10:25 a.m. at the high school.

Officials are urging people to make sure that their homes are prepared for Hurricane Sandy, pointing out that we could possible lose power, in addition to dealing with flooding and downed trees.

Here are some preparedness tips from the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, as Hurricane Sandy's approach.

The Village Police, DPW, FD and EMS are prepared and have crews on stand-by in case of emergencies.  If you experience loss of electrical power, please contact ConEd directly by calling 800-752-6633.  The community room in the Municipal Building will be available to residents beginning Monday morning at 7 a.m. if residents lose power and need to power cell phones and laptops. 

BEFORE THE STORM:
•    Bring inside all loose objects from your yard, porch or terrace, including yard furniture;
•    Secure  your doors and windows;
•    Stay tuned to local news sources for word on the storm’s timing and severity, and possible evacuation orders;
•    Check on relatives, friends and neighbors with disabilities or special needs;
•    Make sure you have on hand plenty of bottled water (1 gallon per person, per day), nonperishable food and plenty of batteries for all of your flashlights and portable radios;
•    Make sure valuables are secured in waterproof containers;
•    Pack a “Go Bag” and bedding in case you need to evacuate;
•    Keep friends and family notified of your whereabouts if you choose to leave your home;
•    Make sure you have supplies for your pets, infants and chronically ill family members. 
A “GO BAG” SHOULD INCLUDE:
•    Copies of your important documents in a waterproof and portable container (insurance cards, photo ID’s, proof of address, etc.)
•    Extra set of car and house keys
•    Copies of credit/ATM cards and $50-$100 cash in small denominations
•    Bottled water and nonperishable food such as energy or granola bars
•    Flashlight
•    Battery operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
•    Up-to-date medication information and other essential personal items.  Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.  Also, include all doctors’ names and phone numbers
•    First aid kit
•    Contact and meeting place information for your household and a small regional map
•    Child care supplies

HELPFUL NUMBERS 

Please only call 911 for emergencies. An alternative contact number is United Way's 211 HelpLine.

ConEd power outage or gas and electrical service problems: (800) 752-6633

County Parkways: Call the county police at (914) 864-7700 for the latest county parkway conditions You may want to check on major highway conditions across the county by visiting www.511ny.org. This site provides reports on roads across the county as well as state-wide. It details closures, incidents and other helpful traffic and transit conditions.

Thruway: (800)-THRUWAY for updated NY state thruway information

Local road conditions: Call the Croton-on-Hudson Police 271-5177. 

Bee-Line Buses: (914) 813-7777 for bus service status or (914) 995-7272 and press 2 at the prompt, for paratransit status 

Metro-North Railroad: 212-532-4900 

Other Non-Emergency: Call the Croton on Hudson Police non-emergency number 271-5177.

Other Utilities:  Please check your billing statement for telephone number.