Community Corner

Fire Island Under Mandatory Evacuation Order as Sandy Nears

County Executive Steve Bellone declares State of Emergency as hurricane remains on destructive path.

County Executive Steve Bellone has declared a State of Emergency and ordered a mandatory evacuation of Fire Island as Hurricane Sandy churns its way up the East Coast. 

The evacuation order applies to all communities on Fire Island and must be completed by 2 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement released Saturday morning. 

The Suffolk County Emergency Operations Center opened at 9 a.m Friday and will be open throughout the weekend. The EOC coordinates the county’s response system and consists of more than 40 workstations for representatives from the county, towns, villages, utilities and emergency responders.

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Bellone is urging residents who live in low-lying and flood prone areas to monitor the weather reports closely and listen for updates. Do not report to a shelter until instructed to. He also reminded residents to use 911 only for life-threatening emergencies, not for information. Residents with non-emergency situations can use the SCPD non-emergency number 852-COPS (852-2677) or the Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services line at 852-4900.

Sandy is currently a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph. On its current track, it's expected to hit Long Island the hardest Monday night into Tuesday. 

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


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