Hermine tested Island’s emergency readiness — Chief Read outlines strategies to board

Shelter Island got a pass — literally — from a dangerous storm this week, getting some much needed rain, some strong winds, but nowhere near the hurricane force conditions that could have hit the East End.

Another positive result from Hermine’s passing is it presented an ideal time for the Island’s Emergency Management Team to test its readiness with months to go before the November 30 conclusion of hurricane season.

“This hurricane planning has to go on regardless,” Police Chief Jim Read told the Town Board at its Tuesday work session. He pronounced the partnership between the town and PSEG as working effectively, noting the utility company housed a crew here Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to deal with any power outages. The only reported outage occurred about 9:15 p.m. Monday night with electrical service restored by 9:45 p.m., the chief said.

The chief reminded Islanders that if they lose power, it’s important they report the problem directly to PSEG, not the police, since the power company coordinates responses. Calling police will only slow down the response since police will then have to call the PSEG, taking time away from what could be other emergency needs.

What’s different this year in the emergency management plan is completion of a back-up operations center in the basement of the Justice Court Building. Police headquarters remains the primary emergency operations center, but having a second site in the event the first can’t function is an important step, Chief Read said.

The town now has four generators located at the Police Station, Justice Court, Town Hall and the American Legion Post. The Emergency Management Team also has the capacity to open emergency shelters if necessary. The Senior Activities Center can accommodate small groups during a major emergency, Shelter Island School would be able to accommodate more people.

But Chief Read said the preference is to avoid opening the centers and instead make arrangements in advance for people in need to move in with friends or relatives who live on higher ground and would be less likely to experience flooding.

It’s important that those with special needs — from seniors with mobility problems to younger people, such as a woman who is pregnant and may go into labor during an emergency — to make provisions themselves because government can’t plan for every individual, Chief Read said.

There are no plans in place to evacuate Shelter Island, nor should there be, Chief Read said. There are enough places on high ground for residents to seek refuge in an emergency, he added.

Besides coordinating responses with the Shelter Island Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, the chief also works with town departments — everything from highway, senior services and building to recreation and the supervisor’s office. Chief

Read also coordinates communications with the Village of Dering Harbor and North and South ferries. HAM radio operators also get into the act, helping to keep communications flowing when other means might fail.

But the cooperation doesn’t stop there. Shelter Island coordinates its emergency responses with Suffolk County, planners and emergency teams from 10 towns, the State Emergency Management Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The chief was set to host a meeting here this week among town planners and emergency managers from the various towns to share information.

“We all feed off each other,” Chief Read said.