Town and school prepped for storm: Officials hope worst weather bypasses area

Although the current path of the storm bearing down on the tri-state area is expected to spare Shelter Island from the worst of its wrath, Police Chief Jim Read, who leads emergency responses for the town, told the Town Board Tuesday he and his team are prepared.

PSEG has said a crew will be on the Island Wednesday to respond to any outages and can augment its workforce should the storm change course and do more damage than expected.

“PSEG has been a great support for our community,” Chief Read said.

Still, he worries that high winds could bring down power lines. Another worry is if the Island experiences ice on those lines, they become weighed down and could break, causing power outages.

Highway Department crews are prepared to roll out should this become a snow event or very icy roads result from heavy rains and cold temperatures, Chief Read said.

He has also spoken to Sara Mundy at the Senior Center who said she’s reached out to the most frail of elderly residents and is prepared to provide food if needed.

Efforts would be made to relocate those residents with friends or relatives.

But if it becomes necessary, the town would open a public shelter.

The chief advised anyone who needs assistance to call police, but if no one answers the 631-749-0600 number, hit #1 and the call will be routed to dispatchers who can arrange for help.

“I would say we’re prepared for this as well as we can be,” the chief said.

School Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., said if the storm strikes earlier than expected today, or is worse than expected on Thursday, he will close the school.

If school has to be closed Thursday, it would be treated as a snow day, with two such days built into the calendar.

If more than two snow days are needed during what is predicted to be a tough winter, he said the district would convert extra weather days into virtual learning under a New York State Education Department pilot plan for this school year.

Updates will be posted on the Reporter website as circumstances merit.