Greenwich, Are You Ready For Hurricane Season?

Here in the Northeast we've had two major storms in the last two years that started out as hurricanes — Irene and Sandy — and it's that time again for us to start thinking about how to be ready for the next big blow.

This week marks the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Preparedness Week and the agency has several informative guides on its website about hurricanes, how to get ready for a hurricane and special precautions for mariners.

In Greenwich, the town's Emergency Management Director Dan Warzoha outlines a few simple guidelines for residents to follow that will help ensure their preparedness should a storm of the magnitude of last October's Superstorm Sandy wash ashore. (For his tips which include making arrangements for evacuation because of flooding or power loss, please see video.)

"One of the things that's abundantly clear, particularly after the conflagration in Old Greenwich, is that residents understand that when we say to evacuate, that they evacuate," Warzoha said. "People are keenly aware of what these storms can do."

The town continues to work on strengthening its resiliency to storms including working with utilities to minimize power outages with an aggresive tree trimming program along major power transmission line routes, and to minimize the impact on the town's sewer division which sits on the waterfront Grass Island Park on Greenwich Harbor. Warzoha said, "It's important for people to try to build their own resiliency. The more people help themselves, the more they help their neighbors and us."

Lack of preparation before a big storm is a common problem in hurricane season, according to the center.

"History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster."

Besides Warzoha's tips,  the center has numerous tips and resources on how to prepare for a hurricane and how to recover after one on its "Be Ready" page.