Putnam Officials: First Responders are Ready

The Putnam County Emergency Management team sent the following to residents, via NY-Alert (the state's online communication system), Monday afternoon:

Headline: Putnam County Officials Are Prepared To Respond To Storm Emergencies. Residents Urged To Monitor The Weather

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell met with County Emergency Response Officials today and reviewed the impact of Hurricane Sandy to our region. "Our first priority is the safety and well being of our residents and visitors" stated the County Executive, "and we will do all that is necessary to ensure this". The team continues to monitor the weather and following is a brief overview.  

While Hurricane Sandy is still offshore in the Atlantic, it is fairly clear that it will make land in the Southern area of New Jersey. Once it makes landfall the storm will shift from a hurricane to a tropical storm. The projected course is for the storm to continue northwest across New Jersey then shift north when it hits the Pennsylvania border. This course will bring it directly across central New York changing to a tropical depression as it nears the Canadian border. As it crosses into Canada it will change to a northeast path. This essentially wraps the storm around us bringing some uncertainty as to the final weather.  

For our area the two major concerns remain high wind speeds and tidal surges along the Hudson River. The rain totals have diminished and we are now looking at less than 3" countywide. Winds have been steadily increasing and we anticipate this trend to continue reaching its peak this evening at 11:00 PM. Winds, although diminishing, will stay with us through late-day Wednesday.  

Wind Summary:  

• Monday (10/29/12) 2:00 PM 34 MPH Gusts to 63 MPH  
• Monday (10/29/12) 11:00 PM 39 MPH Gusts to 75 MPH (this is the peak)  
• Tuesday (10/30/12) 8:00 AM 21 MPH Gusts to 47 MPH  
• Tuesday (10/30/12) 8:00 PM 13 MPH  

We are already seeing a tidal surge along the Hudson River and Putnam’s Hudson River communities need to prepare for a higher than normal tidal surge. Due to atmospheric conditions and an increasing East Fetch (sustaining winds and atmospheric pressure that do not allow normal drainage of previous high tides) it is predicted that the tidal surge will be 2’ – 4’ over the normal high tide with the National Weather Service predicting closer to the 4’ mark. In addition the longer storm duration will result in up to 3 higher than normal tidal cycles.  

Temperatures will remain slightly above seasonal at the onset, but as the storm mixes with a cold front, temperatures will begin to descend into slightly lower than seasonal. By Wednesday we will see temperatures of 50 F during the day and 40 F overnight. There are no below freezing temperatures predicted.  

We should be prepared for localized flooding conditions as the remaining leaf cover is removed from trees. This can create blockage for normal drainage paths such as small streams.  

We advise all residents and visitors to Putnam County to prepare now. Charge your cell phone and have a car charger available. Have a battery powered radio and flashlights as well as extra batteries on hand. Make sure you have enough medications (prescriptions and over the counter) on hand for all family members for at least one week. Inspect your house and surrounding areas for loose items, secure anything that can move in high winds. Go to http://www.ready.gov for more storm preparation tips.  

In addition, take time now to review your Personal Storm Emergency Plan and:  

• Have an Emergency GO Kit (everything you need if you have to leave your house)  
• Establish a Family Communication Plan (how will you communicate with your family during and after the event?)  
• Know your surroundings; is your property flood prone? Take protective action now!  
• If you have a generator, be sure it has been installed by a qualified electrician. You MUST have a transfer switch installed to prevent dangerous electricity from injuring utility crews as they repair damaged lines  
• For more information on storm preparation go to www.ready.gov
• To track the storm or for up to date weather information go to www.weather.gov orwww.nhc.noaa.gov (the National Weather Service’s Hurricane Center)  
• To report an outage or to review current outages for NYSEG go to http://www.nyseg.com/outages/default.html
• To report an outage or to review current outages for Central Hudson go tohttp://stormcentral.cenhud.com/default.aspx
• Stay informed before, during and after the event by signing up for NY-Alert at www.nyalert.gov. By being a NY-Alert subscriber you can receive weather advisories, road closure information and local updates from the County and your local municipality by phone, fax, email or text message, all at no charge!  

Click here for more information on Hurricane Sandy, and the impact in Putnam. Click here to learn more about NY-Alert, which requires individuals to register.

And don't forget to shate updates (cancellations, downed trees, outages, etc.) and weather-related photos! You can leave them here, or email Ashley.Tarr@Patch.com.